Steelers Rookie Receiver Returns to Practice

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a chance to evaluate one of their selections from the 2022 NFL Draft in real action soon enough. The team announced that rookie wide receiver Calvin Austin III returned to practice Wednesday.

WR Calvin Austin III will return to practice today but remains on the Reserve/Injured List.

We have 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster. If he is not activated during that period, he cannot return to the active roster for the rest of the 2022 season.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 5, 2022

Austin's return activates his 21-day practice window following a four-week stint on injured reserve due to a foot injury suffered during training camp. The fourth-round draft pick missed extensive practice and playtime throughout the preseason, so he'll likely have a hard time cracking the Steelers' receiver rotation. He'll compete for WR4 snaps behind top three targets Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and fellow rookie George Pickens.

CALVIN AUSTIN III CAUGHT THEM SLEEPING 🤯 pic.twitter.com/H5o828mFQ3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 18, 2021

Austin joined the Steelers as the 138th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft after four years with Memphis in which he compiled 2541 receiving yards and 25 total touchdowns. An incredibly explosive athlete at wide receiver, Austin was hoping to carry on a rich tradition of successful undersized Steelers wide receivers that includes Johnson, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, and Santonio Holmes.