Steelers May Be Lying About Crucial Injury That Could Seriously Affect Pittsburgh's Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have much of a choice when it comes to the organization's offense in 2025. The unit has struggled for years, but the arrival of four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers is expected to change the trajectory of the group. The front office made a huge move to acquire DK Metcalf before the new league year, and he is expected to be the top target in the passing game. It will be fascinating to see who emerges as the second-most targeted individual, which is a role that many believe could belong to wide receiver Calvin Austin III.

General Manager Omar Khan has been very aggressive throughout the 2025 offseason, but he also decided to trade George Pickens, who was thought to be the second piece of a dynamic duo that would have included Metcalf. After the deal that sent Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, Austin was the first name to pop up as the second wideout on the depth chart.

Unfortunately, the pass-catcher, who is entering a contract year, has been on the sidelines for nearly two weeks while battling a mysterious injury. Respected team insider, Mark Kaboly, recently gave his analysis regarding the practices in Latrobe, and he labeled Austin as the number one loser out of everyone that attended the highly-anticipated training camp.

"I am not ready to dismiss Austin because I know how good he can be, but missing close to two weeks with an undisclosed injury isn’t good," Kaboly wrote. "The Steelers being vague about the injury more and more by the day makes it even more concerning. With Austin pretty much penciled in as the WR2 before camp, there is no way to label the past three weeks other than disappointing."

The mystery when it comes to Austin continues to baffle fans and reporters, but gives a little bit of a reminder to how the wide receiver's first professional season went. He was labeled as injured early on in the camp of 2022, but eventually landed on Injured Reserve without playing a single regular season snap. It's concerning to think that this ailment could be much more serious than the team is letting on, as Kaboly suggested.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin has consistently been saying that Austin is day-to-day, but he typically does not admit to the media that something more serious is going on, unless it's absolutely necessary. There could be something else brewing that not many people know about, so fans shouldn't be surprised if something ends up coming to the surface about Austin's situation sooner rather than later.

The regular season is now around the corner, and the Steelers can't afford not to have a plethora of weapons for Rodgers on the offensive side of the ball. Kaboly recently reported that the organization may be back in the mix for a wide receiver addition, which only fuels the fire to his theory about something significant going on with Austin. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith needs weapons, and the absence of Austin is hurting the development of an important positional group.

Pittsburgh needs its offense to have a more dominating presence if a playoff run is the goal in 2025, so any kind of injury to Metcalf could seriously affect the unit's ability to put points on the scoreboard. Austin was envisioned to be a prominent and up-and-coming playmaker, but that notion may slow down very soon, if it hasn't already. The team needs someone who can be relied on if Metcalf is double-teamed, injured, or simply not having a good day.

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If Austin has more going on than many know about, the front office in Pittsburgh could certainly be looking at bringing in someone else to contribute. The tricky part is that Austin was allegedly going to be the number two option in the passing game. If the franchise truly believes the Super Bowl is within reach with Rodgers under center, it can't afford to acquire someone that won't contribute much.

Do you think that the Steelers know something that fans don't about Austin? Let us know in the comments below!

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