Second-year Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett raised some eyebrows Tuesday when he publicly praised veteran wide receiver Gunner Olszewski.
Turns out, he’s not alone in his thinking.
On Wednesday during his press conference ahead of Friday’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Mike Tomlin heaped praise on the veteran receiver, calling him a tough guy and a football player, the ultimate compliment a coach can give a player at any level.
“I don’t know about development, but Gunner’s a guy that’s always urgent. He’s a tough guy. He’s a football player first and receiver second,” Tomlin told reporters, according to video via the Steelers YouTube page. “You put him in competitive circumstances, he does football player-like things and that’s why an attractive option maybe to Kenny [Pickett] and his teammates. Man, [the] guy loves football and he can’t hide it.”
That’s quite the praise from Tomlin, especially for a guy who is seemingly on the roster bubble and might not be in the highest regard within the franchise. Olszewski struggled with ball security last season as a returner, muffing a punt against the New England Patriots in Week Two, which set up a Patriots touchdown and likely cost the Steelers the game.
But teammates and coaches love him, and his competitive nature and toughness are showing in training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
A fifth-year veteran, Olszewski signed with the Steelers in 2022 following a three-year stint under head coach Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. He was an All-Pro return man in 2020 before the team decided to let him walk as a free agent.
As it stands, Olszewski finds himself listed as the second-string kick and punt returner on the first official depth chart of the offseason, behind Calvin Austin III. On offense, he is listed with the third-team group at wide receiver in what seems to be the “slot” category, with Allen Robinson II and Austin ahead of him.
But with the way Tomlin seemingly views him in his comments to the media, and the way that the quarterbacks in Pickett and veteran backup Mitch Trubisky talk about him, there’s a good chance the Steelers find a way to keep the “football player” on the 53-man roster entering the season.
He has to again prove himself in the preseason starting Friday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But it helps that he seemingly has a leg up based on the opinions of his quarterbacks and head coach.
