When the Steelers lost Ray-Ray McCloud to the San Francisco 49ers last week, they needed to find a return specialist to fill the void on their special teams units. They didn't wait very long to make a move.
One day after McCloud left, the Steelers agreed to terms with Gunner Olszewski, who has a first-team All-Pro honor on his resume.
Olszewski earned All-Pro honors in 2020 after he led the NFL with a 17.3 yard average and returned one for a touchdown. He fell back to an 11.9 average last season, but that was still better than McCloud, who averaged 9.9 yards per return during his two seasons with the Steelers.
Olszewski's 11.9 average last season was fourth in the NFL among players with at least 10 returns.
"I don't think I played at that same level, or I would have been first-team All-Pro again," said Olszewski, who made the Patriots roster as an undrafted free agent in 2019. "I didn't put balls in the end zone. What I need to do is to make it to the end zone."
Olszewski signed a two-year deal worth $4.8 million. McCloud is getting $10 million over two years, perhaps because he flashed more ability as a receiver for the Steelers.
Olszewski only had nine catches over three seasons with the Patriots after converting from defensive back, the position he played at Division II Bemidji State University.
"It's a huge adjustment," Olszewski said. "I figured it might be easy because I always said playing defensive back is the hardest position on the field because you're running backward and people are running full speed at you.
"Shoot, I learned real quick receiver is no walk in the park. There is a lot to learn. It's a hard position to learn. It was tough switching positions. I played defense my whole life. But at the end of the day, it's just football and you have to do all the things it takes to be good at football."
The Steelers are short on receivers at the moment, although they almost assuredly will add one in the draft next month. After losing McCloud, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington over the weekend, the only receivers who finished last season on the 53-man roster are Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.
Olszewski played just 66 offensive snaps for New England last season. The Patriots have made a habit over the years of converting players to receiver over the years. They did it with Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State. Edelman earned a spot as a return specialist, but he developed into a clutch receiver for Tom Brady.
Olszewski didn't blossom as a receiver with the Patriots, but at 25, there is still time for him to develop.
"I learned a lot," Olszewski said of his days with the Patriots. "I played under a lot of good people. The coaches were good. They taught me a lot. I had never played receiver before the 2019 season. I think I've gotten a whole lot better at it, so we'll see where that goes."
Anything Olszewski gives the Steelers as a receiver will be a bonus. He was signed to return punts and kicks and set up the offense with good field position.
"It's mostly instinct," he said. "You have to be able to get set up and read punts. The most important thing is catching the ball and securing possession for the offense. It's instincts and game plan and working with guys on the punt and kick return units, reading punts and running fast."
