According to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni at mandatory minicamp, the WR2 role is Calvin Austin’s job to lose, and the positional coach doesn’t necessarily feel like an outside addition would change that.
“I mean, it’s funny, I think everyone overlooks No. 19 [Austin],” Azzanni told veteran beat reporter Mark Kaboly on June 11. “That guy’s a legit NFL receiver.”
https://x.com/MarkKaboly/status/1932827970265362735
“I know he’s [not] big, but he just gets separation all over the field. He’ll bite your face off in the run game. Nothing affects him. He’s a great leader,” the Steelers’ WRs coach listed, regarding Austin. “So, he can do a lot of things that I guess a [No.] 2 can do.”
Later, Azzanni added that “I think that No. 2 spot is all Calvin’s right now.”
Explaining: “Really, him and DK [Metcalf] are such different players that there’s going to be plays where he is the [No.] 1 guy because that’s his route, and vice versa, because they’re so different in stature.”
Although Azzanni does not necessarily speak for Steelers general manager Omar Khan or head coach Mike Tomlin, his strong vote of confidence is notable. For starters, it tells us that Austin is ahead of veteran Robert Woods and second-year draft pick Roman Wilson on the depth chart.
Wilson, a natural slot receiver in college, could step into the WR3 role with a healthy summer if Austin ends up securing the starting job across from Metcalf.
Unfortunately, having faith in the 5-foot-9 Austin is easier said than done. The former 2022 fourth-rounder is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he’s never reached 40 receptions during a single season.
Austin set career highs in 2024, with 36 catches for 548 yards and 4 touchdowns. His career catch percentage is only a problematic 60.2%, though.
Steelers Wide Receiver Coach Zach Azzanni Says Everyone Is ‘Downplaying’ 2025 WR Corps
It’s not exactly surprising that Azzanni would talk up Austin, or his entire unit as a whole. And that’s exactly what the Steelers’ wide receiver coach did at mandatory minicamp.
“Everyone else is battling for a spot, and it’s going to be by committee — which I’m okay with,” Azzanni told the media. “Cause there [are] a lot of really cool little pieces there that are sneaky.”
“So, everyone’s downplaying [or] underplaying our group right now,” he continued. “I love it that way. I don’t really want anyone looking at us anyway.”
To play devil’s advocate, everyone was downplaying Azzanni’s wide receiver room in 2024, too, and it didn’t turn out so great for Pittsburgh. Wilson barely took the field, veterans Van Jefferson and Mike Williams combined for less than 500 yards, and former WR1 George Pickens failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards.
Depth players like Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek didn’t do much when healthy either, despite early flashes. Both finished with just 69 receiving yards apiece.
Steelers Minicamp Roster Is Missing a WR, No Matter What Zach Azzanni Says
It’s good of Azzanni to stand up for his players publicly, but that’s also part of the job description sometimes. The reality is that the Steelers need one more starting-caliber pass-catcher.
How they find that player is up for debate.
On June 10, Kaboly wrote: “No way in hell are they staying put with what they have [at wide receiver].” When responding to a mailbag question from a fan.
That’s probably more of an educated opinion from the long-time beat reporter, but it shows just how little those outside the building believe what Azzanni just said.
“[The Steelers] can’t even entertain that,” Kaboly went on, “regardless of how well Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin, and Robert Woods are in camp. They have to be patient, but not too patient that they are trying to find that perfect WR2 on the market and then get left at the altar like they did last year with Brandon Aiyuk.”
“Who? Your guess is as good as mine,” he finally concluded. “I like Keenan Allen, but that doesn’t mean they do. I love Terry McLaurin, but to me, that’s another Aiyuk situation.”
Allen made headlines this week, shutting down the idea of signing in Pittsburgh on social media. Meanwhile, the McLaurin situation is ongoing in Washington.
