Suiting up in his No. 19 practice jersey is nothing new to Calvin Austin.
At the same time, putting on the gameday No. 19 will be a new experience for the second-year wide receiver.
The former fourth-round pick out of Memphis sustained a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot prior to the Steelers' first preseason game last year, putting the beginning of his career on hold for a temporary amount of time. He was eased back into practice but aggravated the injury in his rehab, prompting surgery by Dr. Martin O'Malley in New York on Nov. 1 which kept him out for the remainder of the season.
Fast-forward seven months and one day to the date, and Austin is feeling like himself again. And, at a much faster rate than he had projected from coming out of the surgery.
“It was definitely, I would say shorter, just because of the particular injury," Austin told me after Thursday's OTAs on the South Side. "If you look it up and stuff, you would see some have never returned from it. They say it’s sometimes an eight to 10 month rehab processing all that stuff. But a thanks to everyone here, Dr. O’Malley, and my trust and belief in God. I thought I was way ahead of where I thought I would be, and just being able to come out here and still feel like myself out there and feel like I’ve still got it was big for me, too.”
Austin joined the Memphis football team as a preferred walk-on, though he was an All-American relay runner for the Tigers' track and field team as a redshirt sophomore in 2019. From that point and for the final two seasons in college, Austin stuck exclusively to football and had two stellar seasons as a receiver and a returner. He led the American Athletic Conference in receiving yards and touchdowns and ranked sixth in the nation in each category in 2020, and he followed with a 2021 season which netted 74 receptions, 1,149 yards, and eight touchdowns. His yardage total ranked second in the AAC and 20th in the NCAA that season.
He was drafted after impressing the Steelers at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. His 4.32-second 40-yard dash was the fifth-fastest overall at the Combine, his 6.65 three-cone was fourth-fastest, and his 4.07 short shuttle was third-fastest.
Of course, a foot injury is probably the last thing any wide receiver would want to have to work through, but for a receiver like Austin who relies on his speed and agility, his best tool was suddenly hindered for an extended period of time.
Head athletic trainer John Norwig got him into a proper rehab program, though Austin at first took time to grieve over the injury.
"Just from the standpoint that I had some expectations and plans for myself to do some big things, but once I asked to my family, talked to some of my friends ... after Wig told me the news I just went out on the practice field, I was over here just bawling my eyes out. I was hurt," Austin said. "Sometimes as a football player we put our self-worth in football and that’s not where it should be. Just redirecting my thoughts and everything, it definitely was (a hurdle) at first, but after that once I really took it in, I was like, this is really an opportunity, this is -- as crazy as it sounds -- this is another opportunity where God’s giving the opportunity to learn, so now if something happens to somebody else I can use my story. Just trying to turn it into a positive.”
Austin stayed with things as best as he could while he was unable to fully practice. He said he was still able to work on his hands and catch some balls while being wrapped up from the surgery, and through it there were some good days and some bad days.
The rehab process in and of itself, as Austin said, was straightforward. The mental hurdle of going through it was anything but.
For any pro athlete who is always in a "go" mode as Austin was, having to sit out while watching an opportunity he worked for suddenly be taken away was not easy to watch. While it was a hurdle to go through, at first, he was able to stay involved and be around the team throughout the season.
His mindset shifted, his approach to rehab strengthened, and he had the support from his team along the way.
"The coaches kept me involved out here so I was still -- my mind wasn’t just in a position where I was out of it," Austin said. "I was still learning the offense, learning the nuances of the game, I was still traveling, so I was looking forward to getting to different locker rooms and places like and stuff, so it was just taking everything in.”
With all of that, don't consider Austin as a rookie just because he hasn't played in an NFL game yet.
“I definitely feel like a second-year guy, just from the standpoint of on the field things are slowing down and the feel of walking in the facility and the locker room and stuff, it’s complete comfortability," Austin said. "Sometimes that gets underscored, but all of those aspects makes the game easier. As a rookie your head is swirling. Your head is every which way, you’re thinking of a thousand things, you’ve got plenty of meetings and stuff like that, so I definitely would say I feel more like a second-year guy.”
In his "All Things Covered" Podcast posted Thursday afternoon, Patrick Peterson commended Austin for his speed throughout the Steelers' OTAs. His first experience in covering Austin came in last week's practice in press coverage.
"That joker's fast, I'll tell you that," Peterson told co-host Bryant McFadden. "... I ain't never see Austin before. All I know is he's a little guy, he's outside. So if he's a little guy outside he must got wheels, but I'd never seen it in action. So, boom, he made the little move, he'd get maybe an arm length ahead of me, but I ended up going down, giving him one of my tug-and-pulls to get me back in position, making the play. Coach Grady Brown comes back into film and he's like, 'man, we all owe Pat P an apology. We didn't tell him that 19 had wheels like this.'"
(Peterson talks about Austin starting at the 11:49 mark of this video:)
The current state of the Steelers' wide receivers room -- and the pass catchers in a general sense -- is intriguing. Of course, Diontae Johnson and George Pickens are considered he top two targets for Kenny Pickett, but the addition of Allen Robinson brings a reliable set of hands into the room and the drafting of tight end Darnell Washington could prompt Pat Freiermuth into seeing some more time inside the slot as a receiver.
That leaves a niche, though necessary, role for Austin. At 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, his best fit would be inside the slot and working inline, while also serving as a typical gadget player for Matt Canada to use to stretch the field. Austin said he has ben working as a kick returner and a punt returner during OTAs, unsurprisingly, and is looking forward to whatever else Canada has in store for him in 2023.
"I think with my speed that's something that can definitely be used to stretch the field vertically," Austin said. "Any type of jet sweeps, anything quick to get the ball in my hands. But, just really whatever my role is, whatever they asked me to do, I'll be happy to do it. If that's a blocker, a decoy, whatever, I'll be ready."
