The Steelers are now in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College for the 2023 installment of training camp. They are coming off of a 9-8 season during which they broke in their new quarterback, Kenny Pickett, finishing the year strong by winning seven of their last nine but coming up short of the postseason.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year.
From the first day of training camp to the last, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered, including several battles for starting roles. Which veterans might be vulnerable to release? Who are the sleepers who will emerge in camp and make a run at ta roster spot? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: How damning is Gunner Olszewski’s second-string status as returner?
Head coach Mike Tomlin, the man who fills out the depth charts, will be the first to tell you how meaningless they are. Remember the kerfuffle last year when he inadvertently listed Mason Rudolph as the second-string quarterback at the start of the year instead of Kenny Pickett?
Yet the depth charts are out there and he’s never claimed to deliberately create inaccurate ones to try to make people not care about them. And arguably the most interesting thing on that depth chart was his decision to list second-year WR Calvin Austin III as the first-team kick and punt returner over Gunner Olszewski.
Olszewski signed with the Steelers last year to be their return man, a former All-Pro who nevertheless found himself on the open market. He was benched within a few games due to ball security issues, yet nobody else on the current roster who would be a viable option (Diontae Johnson is too important) has serious NFL experience.
Olszewski will have a difficult time cracking the 53-man roster if he is not dressing for games as the Steelers’ primary kick and punt returner, so at least optically, things are off to a bad start for him. Being listed behind a fourth-round pick who’s never played in a preseason game doesn’t look good.
But does it matter at all? Should we just ignore the depth chart altogether at this point? Does it mean nothing? Does it at least mean this is where things currently stand, even knowing full well that they can dramatically change during the preseason and the final bit of training camp?
Yesterday was the final training camp practice open to the public before we see the Steelers inside a stadium again. I’m sure both Austin and Olszewski will be given as many opportunities as the game allows to make their case for why they should be the returner. But perhaps Austin gets the first crack at it, with a slight head start. And if that really is the case, then the fifth-year veteran’s path back to the 53-man roster just got significantly harder.
