Jason Mackey: While the Steelers must still add at receiver, you shouldn't discount Calvin Austin III

PITTSBURGH — Two things can be true.

With Aaron Rodgers signed for a reasonable rate, the Steelers must use some of their available salary cap space and add another wide receiver, whether that's Keenan Allen, Allen Lazard or Tyler Boyd.

I'm also encouraged by what's already here.

DK Metcalf offers an upgrade over George Pickens as the primary option. But it's more the overall depth that will exist with another addition. If Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson are the third- and fourth-best options, that's pretty good and a sizable upgrade over 2024.

Austin's story intrigues me, too.

I had a really good chat with Austin last week about growing his role, what it takes for someone listed at 5-foot-9, 162 pounds to play outside and what he took away from a breakout 2024, when he finished with 36 catches for 548 yards (15.2 avg.) and four touchdowns.

"I already had a high level of confidence," Austin said. "As a player, we know what we're capable of. But it's about having those opportunities to show the world what you can really do.

"It gave me even more confidence that the world could see a little bit of what I can do."

Lazard has been a natural link due the amount of time he's spent with Rodgers. It's also hard to dislike the idea of signing Allen, a five-time Pro Bowler with plenty left to prove.

Boyd, Nelson Agholor, Amari Cooper or some of the other names I've seen attached to the Steelers recently are cool, too. They certainly need someone.

Yet in Austin's mind, he can be that guy.

My conversation with Austin went to a variety of places, starting with how the Memphis, Tenn., native was raised. As a kid, Austin was a corner, and his dad would talk a lot about Brent Grimes, an undersized (5-10) player out of Shippensburg, Pa., who played a dozen years for the Falcons, Dolphins and Buccaneers.

When the younger Austin attended camps, it was as a Grimes-type of corner, not a wide receiver. Austin finally switched as a high school junior, and that's how he walked on at the University of Memphis, blossoming into a two-time All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) pick before becoming a fourth-round selection of the Steelers in 2022.

"In college, I can see now why they gave me a walk-on because I literally thought how to run a route was juke a guy at the line and get open," Austin said, laughing. "Starting from there and really learning the game, that's what allowed me to play anything. I didn't know anything about the receiver position. Then I learned it."

That ascent happened gradually, from scout team work to running with the third- and second-stringers. Eventually, of course, the starters.

Through it all, Austin learned the nuances of every receiving position, inside and outside. One of the people Austin credited with helping him was John Simon, the former passing-game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Memphis.

Simon also emphasized to Austin that, by putting in the work, he could be more than a slot receiver.

"He really taught me the entire game of football," Austin said. "He empowered me to realize that I wasn't a slot, even though I thought I was a slot. He empowered me to really be a football player and learn how to be a receiver, to read the defense and read the game.

"In 2020, our starting X [receiver] opted out. I moved to X, played the whole year and got comfortable. Now transitioning to Pittsburgh, it's not my first time playing out wide."

Who knows if Austin winds up outside or inside? That could and should depend on the Steelers' outside addition — they'd be silly not to accept Rodgers' input.

Regardless, they got a good one in Austin, and that shouldn't be overlooked.

Another part of our conversation included Austin as the elder statesman, a de facto role he held at OTAs because Metcalf missed the portion open to the media. The affable Austin has embraced the role.

It's also wild for him when he thinks about how far he's come in such a short period of time.

The first day of OTAs, Austin said he was actually laughing with Connor Heyward about what it was like when they started doing this. They'd spend hours at the rookie hotel, going over plays and fretting over details. On the field, they'd get nervous and play tight.

"We'd be stressing about every little thing," Austin said, talking about Pickens, Heyward and even Mark Robinson. "It's crazy how it has slowed down. We come out here now, and it's truly just fun. It's football."

It's also a business — and Austin knows that.

General manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin will look to make the team better by adding a receiver. It's Austin's job to not lose the traction he gained last season, when he showed the world that he could do more.

The advantage now, Austin believes, is that nobody can take that experience away from him.

In addition to the in-game stuff, it's the amount he put on tape to review. How he can use what he did in 2024 to learn and grow, the same way he transitioned from corner to receiver and then spread his wings at Memphis.

Whether he fills the vacant No. 2 role or not, every team needs guys like Austin — always learning, always wanting to do more.

"Last year was the first year I was given the chance to be a true receiver and show what I can do," Austin said. "Now, I can look back at film of me running a curl, a go, a post or a hitch and be like, 'How can I get better at that?' Tons of improvements."

And also a reminder of how two things can be true.

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