After losing three of their last four games, the Pittsburgh Steelers are desperate for answers. There are problems on both sides of the football, and it's impossible to point the finger at one player for the recent collapse of the team. But their underwhelming wide receiver performance isn't helping.
The Steelers spent a second-round pick to acquire DK Metcalf during the 2025 offseason. This trade was accompanied by paying the former Pro Bowl receiver nearly $33 million per season in new annual money. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh hasn't seen a fraction of its money's worth yet.
Because of the steep investment, the Steelers will be forced to roll with Metcalf as the team's top option, for good or for bad. However, this team has a WR2 problem that Calvin Austin III can't solve.
General manager Omar Khan looked for help at receiver before the NFL trade deadline, but to no avail. When the deadline passed, Austin could breathe a sigh of relief to keep his job as the team's No. 2 receiver. But after witnessing his lackluster performance in Week 10 on Sunday Night Football, it's time to call the next man up.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should demote Calvin Austin III and promote Roman Wilson to WR2
Calvin Austin had a hot start to his 2025 campaign with a four-catch, 70-yard game against the New York Jets, which included a touchdown. Since then, however, the fourth-year receiver and former 2022 fourth-round pick has gone quiet.
Over his last six games as the starting receiver opposite Metcalf, Austin has mustered up just 17 receptions for 167 yards and one score. This is inexcusable production, considering Austin has seen the field for 245 snaps during this span.
Twice in his last four games, Austin has failed to reach 15 receiving yards, and his impact has been minimal. What's worse is that the speedy receiver is coming off perhaps the worst game of his NFL career. Against the LA Chargers on Sunday Night Football, Austin caught just two passes on seven targets, while witnessing two costly drops—one of which led to a late-game interception.
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More than halfway through the season, Austin has managed a mere 6.6 yards per target, while quarterback Aaron Rodgers has just a 61.9 passer rating when throwing in his direction.
Enter Roman Wilson—a 2024 third-round pick who has been itching for an opportunity.
Unlike Austin, Wilson has been extremely efficient when targeted by Rodgers this season. The second-year receiver has turned his 15 targets into 11 receptions for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This equates to a 144.6 passer rating when targeted—more than double that of the Rodgers-Austin connection.
In Week 10, Wilson flashed as a special teams gunner, and outside of what Tomlin called a 'bone-headed' fumble in Week 9, he has made the most of every opportunity on the field this season. Though Wilson's not a big receiver, going from the 5-foot-7 Austin to the nearly 5-foot-11 Wilson could give Rodgers a bigger catch radius to target.
We are four years into Calvin Austin's NFL career, and if he hasn't shown a ton of improvement by now, he may always be capped by his size limitations and adequate natural traits. It's time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to turn the page on Austin and give Roman Wilson the shot he deserves to be this team's No. 2 wide receiver.