After suffering a shoulder injury in Ireland, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to be without their No. 2 wide receiver, Calvin Austin, for at least one more game.
Austin, who did not practice at all in the week leading up to the Week 7 contest versus the Cincinnati Bengals, was ruled out on Wednesday, which was expected.
This is obviously a major issue for the Steelers, a team that was already precariously short at the wide receiver position behind DK Metcalf.
Austin currently ranks third on the team in receiving yards behind Metcalf and running back Jaylen Warren, and second among wide receivers. The fact that a running back has the second-most receiving yards says everything you need to know about Pittsburgh's situation.
So, when can we expect Austin to return to the field? Here's what we know.
How long is Calvin Austin out?
Week 8 is the expected return date for Austin.
That update comes from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, who reported the following:
"Calvin Austin III will miss his second game in a row (shoulder) but Steelers expecting him back for Green Bay game," Dulac wrote on Wednesday.
An initial report from Dulac suggested Austin would "miss at least several games," so clearly Austin's injury isn't as bad as first thought.
While Austin's impending return is great news, it should not deter the Steelers from making a move at the trade deadline, and thankfully it looks like there's a strong possibility that happens.
In recent days, we've seen reports from Bleacher Report's James Palmer and ESPN's Adam Schefter that say the Steelers are looking around the trade market for more help.
For now, the Steelers are hoping Ben Skowronek, Scotty Miller and Roman Wilson will step up to provide some assistance to Metcalf, who is going to find it tougher and tougher to operate as teams focus more attention on him.