The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
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. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? 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: Gunner Olszewski or Calvin Austin III: who will return kicks?
The Steelers have an All-Pro kick returner on the roster. And then they have a guy who has returned zero kicks. The choice of who should return kicks for the team in the season opener is obvious. Right? Clearly, it’s the guy who has never returned kicks before, or at least that will surely be the choice of many—including, perhaps, head coach Mike Tomlin.
Because that guy is Calvin Austin III, and the other is Gunner Olszewski. Simple numbers may solve the equation for them, however, if the Steelers can’t figure out a way to get Olszewski dressed for the games. They have dressed six wide receivers before, but it often comes at a sacrifice. So let’s ask the most immediate question: how would they dress Olszewski?
The Steelers will need five players to be inactive. Teams are allowed to carry 46 active players for games, plus a 47th player if it is an eighth offensive lineman and a 48th if it is a third, emergency quarterback. So we only have to find five names to sit, but one of them is not going to be Mason Rudolph.
The trenches are otherwise the obvious place to start if not the quarterback room. Dylan Cook is the most likely offensive lineman to sit. On the defensive side, the question is sitting one or two linemen, since they are carrying seven. If two, it will likely be Isaiahh Loudermilk and Armon Watts. Otherwise, if deciding between the two, it might be a coin flip, but I would sit Loudermilk.
So that’s two. Where else are there a lot of players? We turn to the secondary. At least one of the 11 there will have to sit. Desmond King may not be quite up to speed, so that would be an easy way out for the opener, but not once we get into the year. Otherwise, you’ll have to choose some combination of James Pierre, Elijah Riley, and Chandon Sullivan.
So there are options, ways around the roster to get Olszewski dressed for games. The question is, do you do it? Personally, if I were the Steelers, I would put both of them back there, one as the up back, finding some way to alternate who the primary returner is and simply wait for one of them to emerge as the more desirable option.
