Growing Belief Steelers Won't Activate Calvin Austin From IR

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Calvin Austin has just days to return to the team.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers opened wide receiver Calvin Austin's 21-day return window over two weeks ago. But with six days before that period ends, there's been no sign he's returning to the team this season. 

Fans have been waiting for the rookie to return to the 53-man roster and make his NFL debut. A fourth-round pick this offseason, Austin was impressive during training camp but suffered a foot injury the day before the Steelers' preseason opener. Six games into the regular season, he's yet to play a game for Pittsburgh. 

With the countdown to his grace period nearing a close, there's growing pessimism he'll be activated this season. Noise around the Steelers suggests Austin is not 100% ready to return to the field full-time yet, and Pittsburgh tends not to hand their rookies much, including a roster spot. 

Head coach Mike Tomlin didn't guarantee Austin would return this week, but said he is starting to progress. 

"I thought he improved a little bit last week. He knocked a little bit of the rust off," Tomlin said during his Week 7 press conference. "We’ll see what this week holds. We’ve still got a little bit of time there in terms of making the determining factor about his inclusion."

With the emergence of Steven Sims, the Steelers simply don't have a space for Austin at this time. There was the belief he could take Gunner Olszewski's roster spot, but that belief has dimmed in recent days. 

Award-winning Steelers insider says on @937theFan that it's becoming more and more likely that Calvin Austin won't get activated off the IR and will miss the entire 2022 season. Yikes.

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) October 20, 2022

All Steelers carry the belief Austin could spend the remainder of the season on IR. Foot injuries tend to linger, and if the rookie isn't ready to return, the Steelers are more than likely to keep him off the field this season. 

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