Steelers Now
The New York Giants have re-signed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Gunner Olszewski to their 53-man roster. Olszewski was with the Giants in training camp and the preseason before being released on Wednesday.
Olszewski has been on and off the Giants’ roster the last few years. He first joined the club after the Steelers released him in October of 2023.
Pittsburgh cut him shortly before their game against the Los Angeles Rams, trimming their wide receiver rotation with the return of Diontae Johnson into the initial fold.
Olszewski was a healthy scratch in Week 1 when the Steelers had a full complement of wide receivers.
Olszewski also did not play well when given an opportunity. In Week 2 of the 2023 season against the Cleveland Browns, he caught a kickoff that was going out of bounds, costing his team 30 yards, and fumbled a catch and a punt return, losing them both.
Olszewski started the 2022 season as the Steelers’ punt returner but was replaced after he muffed two punts in a three-game span including one against his former team, the Patriots, that led to a touchdown in a 17-14 loss.
The Steelers signed Olszewski to a two-year contract in March of 2022 with the intention of him replacing Ray-Ray McCloud as a slot receiver and return man. He lost his punt return job to Steven Sims early last season and only kept his receiving role because the team traded away Chase Claypool.
In 18 games with the Steelers, he caught six passes for 53 yards, ran eight times for 39 yards, returned nine punts for 63 yards, and two kickoff returns for 24 yards. He had four total fumbles.
In 2020, Olszewski played in 13 games for the Patriots and caught a total of five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. He recorded his first NFL touchdown in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers on a punt return and then caught his first NFL receiving touchdown later in that same game. After the season, Olszewski was named Associated Press All-Pro first-team at the punt returner position.
Olszewski appeared in 16 games again in 2021 as he only caught two passes for 31 yards and did not score a receiving touchdown. In a game against the Chargers, Olszewski had three punt returns of 20 yards or more which is a rare feat, last accomplished by a Patriots player in 2000.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Giants Sign Former Steelers Wide Receiver
