Steelers’ win over the Vikings came at an immediate cost after a concerning injury to key wide receiver
The loss of Calvin Austin III may force Omar Khan’s hand.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ mantra all week was that the game in Ireland was a business trip. That they were there to play a football game, not explore the homeland of the Steelers brass. And that’s exactly what it was.
It was a dominant showing from the defense (for the most part), the best the offensive line looked all year, and a DK Metcalf performance for the ages. But within that came a few injuries. Jalen Ramsey was banged up, Cam Heyward left the game, and Calvin Austin III suffered a shoulder injury.
The issue is that the injury seems to be serious, as Austin was seen leaving the stadium in an ambulance, with his shoulder in a sling.
Calvin Austin III suffered a serious shoulder injury in the Steelers’ win over the Vikings.
“Steelers WR Calvin Austin III was just loaded into an ambulance in the tunnel with his shoulder in a sling,” posted Brooke Pryor of ESPN on Twitter (X) during the game. The immediate reaction is to assume a collarbone injury. Austin was immediately transferred from the blue tent to the locker room to an ambulance.
Now, that could be due to a lack of equipment at the stadium, including an X-ray machine, but it’s concerning nonetheless. The best case would be a shoulder dislocation or separation. That, unlike a collarbone injury, would allow Austin to return this season.
Either way, Steelers general manager Omar Khan has to pick up the phone after this game. The Steelers don’t play for two weeks since next week is their bye. That will allow the injured players like Jaylen Warren, Joey Porter Jr., Brandin Echols, Darius Slay, and others to get healthy.
However, it also gives the Steelers time to explore trade options. Between now and their next game, most of the league will have played two more games and have a much better idea of what their season outlook is.
So there will be options at WR. I know the talk recently has been about adding a defender, but a lean WR corps is now on its last legs, and the Steelers can’t afford to go into the meat of their season with Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek, and Roman Wilson as a mix at WR2.
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