Steelers Get Positive Update on Calvin Austin III Injury: Report
The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with a couple new potentially significant injuries during their bye week. But it’s possible the ailment to wide receiver Calvin Austin III isn’t as bad as initially expected.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo reported Friday that x-rays to Austin’s shoulder came back negative. DeFabo called the update “good news” and stopped short of reporting that the receiver will definitely miss games.
“I do not know yet if he’ll miss time with injury or not,” DeFabo wrote. “If he does, this could be [Roman] Wilson’s best chance to prove that he deserves a bigger piece of the pie moving forward.”
Austin left last Sunday’s Week 4 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. He underwent further evaluation at the hospital in Dublin.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported a day after the injury that Austin was “expected to miss at least several games.”
Will Steelers WR Calvin Austin III Miss Any Time From Shoulder Injury?
It’s probably wishful thinking to hope Austin doesn’t miss any games. While DeFabo wouldn’t confirm that’s going to happen, Dulac’s report suggested an IR stint was likely for receiver.
But with x-rays negative, Austin could avoid the injured list and return sooner than originally expected. It helps that the Steelers are on a bye for Week 5, and Austin is receiving an extra week of rest.
In four games this season, Austin has posted 10 catches for 139 yards with two touchdowns. He had two receptions for 13 yards before exiting in Week 4.
Austin broke out with 36 catches and 548 receiving yards, averaging 15.2 yards per reception, last season. Although his statistics don’t look incredibly impressive yet in 2025, Austin is averaging more receptions and receiving yards per game than a year ago.
Kevin O'Connell's latest comments are the perfect example why he's one of the NFL's best head coaches
When the Minnesota Vikings went through the hiring cycle after the 2021 season, they were the last to hire a head coach.
At the time, Kevin O'Connell was viewed as a good candidate, but there were a multitude of other candidates who had the eyes of both the media and the Vikings. Brian Daboll, Raheem Morris, and Jim Harbaugh were all serious contenders for the job, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stayed patient and waited for O'Connell's Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl.
It's been a huge win for the Vikings, as O'Connell has led them to a 36-19 record four weeks into his fourth season as the head coach, including a Coach of the Year award. He continues to prove that they made the right call.
Kevin O'Connell continues to prove he's a great head coach
You can tell the way he talks to and about his players that he has a special connection. It helps that O'Connell was a former player and stood where they currently do.
This season has been a trying one for the Vikings. They have dealt with a multitude of injuries, which have made a major impact on the 2-2 record they have. Even so, you won't have O'Connell blaming anything for their poor performances.
"I'm very fortunate to have some players that kind of look at things through the similar lens as I do, where you know adversity or challenges or obstacles are really just opportunities for growth from a team standpoint," said O'Connell. "We didn't do it in either one of those games. We did in our other two, and now we get the fifth opportunity.
"But I'm a big believer, if you're looking for obstacles and excuses, you're probably going to find them. So why would we take the time and energy to look, and let's just focus on what we need to focus on in the present? And I think things will work out for this team because of the type of players and coaches we have. And my confidence level in the group is as high as it's ever been."
O'Connell has the right mindset as a head coach. It does nobody any good to either place blame or make excuses. Be honest about what's going on and work on fixing it. That process is good for the Vikings, especially with players getting healthy will fix a lot of the issues they have. Plus, if they can fix some of them before that happens, it could be a huge benefit for the rest of the season.
This could be the best coaching job of O'Connell's career by getting this team to the playoffs.
