Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III had to be taken to a Dublin-area hospital after suffering a shoulder injury during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters after his team’s 24-21 win that Austin was being evaluated at a hospital.
Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Austin was loaded into an ambulance with his arm in a sling after leaving the game in the fourth quarter.
The injury occurred when Austin was tackled by Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy after an eight-yard reception. He finished with two catches for 13 yards.
Austin’s injury left an already-thin Steelers receiving corps scrambling. DK Metcalf made up for the lack of depth with his best game of the season, finishing with 126 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
Pittsburgh’s depth chart behind Metcalf and Austin includes Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek. The two leading receivers after Metcalf on Sunday were running back Kenneth Gainwell (35 yards) and tight end Darnell Washington (20 yards).
Entering Week 4, the Steelers’ leading receiver was running back Jaylen Warren with 142 yards. Metcalf and Austin were the only other pass-catchers on the team with at least 100 yards.
Austin is in his fourth NFL season after being selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He missed his entire rookie campaign due to a foot injury and played limited snaps in 2023.
Last season saw Austin become more of a focal point in the offense. He racked up 548 yards and four touchdowns on 36 catches in 17 games (eight starts).
Austin was averaging a career-high 15.8 yards per reception through the first three weeks of this season.
If Austin’s injury requires him to miss any time, the Steelers would likely turn to Miller and Skowronek as a short-term option as their No. 2 receiver. They could also explore free agency or the trade market for depth.
The Steelers do have time to figure out their situation since they are on a bye in Week 5 before returning to play the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 12.
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.