Did Steelers Hurt Austin's Development With Signing?

The Pittsburgh Steelers decision-makers will never have a Sunday left unscrutinized. Whether it’s about playing time, play calls, or a particular transaction, there will always be critics – it’s the nature of playing under the brightest lights.

Sometimes, those detractors are right.

Every move has an opportunity cost attached to it. Every carry from running back Najee Harris is one Jaylen Warren didn’t see. Every pass thrown to receiver George Pickens is one Diontae Johnson didn’t catch.

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Likewise, every snap Allen Robinson took last season was one a Pittsburgh depth receiver didn’t take. One such receiver was Calvin Austin III, who halved Robinson’s snap count last season. A year later, the Steelers are searching for internal improvements from their receiving corps – a task that could linger throughout the season.

According to Mark Kaboly, Robinson was a significant factor in not seeing more from Austin last year.

“He’s getting an opportunity to showcase his skill set,” Kaboly wrote. “He wasn’t often put in a position to do that last year, as they were enamored with Allen Robinson’s blocking in the slot rather than getting receiving production from that spot.”

Austin finished the year with 30 targets for 17 receptions, 180 yards, and a score. Robinson, meanwhile, caught 34 of 49 passes thrown his way for 280 yards. He did not find the end zone.

He also didn’t find much success at all. Among 96 qualified receivers, Robinson ranked 95th in Pro Football Focus’ receiving grade, and 93rd in yards per route run.

Austin wasn’t much better (by yards per route run, he was worse), though his small sample size likely obscures his performance to some extent. The slot-bound Austin didn’t have Robinson’s ability to split out wide, but he was capable of operating gadget plays and winning as a ball carrier.

Pittsburgh seemingly didn’t give him enough opportunities to do so.

Austin may not have left Robinson in the dust or supercharged a Steelers offense that desperately needed a jumpstart.

But in an impressionable early stage of his career, playing time would only have benefited the second-year receiver, especially after missing his rookie campaign. Instead, Robinson, with little production in 2023 and no semblance of long-term benefits for the organization.