Pittsburgh Steelers WR Gunner Olszewski has officially exited the league’s concussion protocol after being concussed in Week Two. That’s according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, who tweeted the news Thursday morning.
Olszewski was injured in the first half of the team’s Monday night game against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 18, taking a hard shot after catching a pass in the right flat. He fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Browns.
He did not practice all last week and was ruled out for the team’s Week Three game against the Las Vegas Raiders last Friday. He practiced in full yesterday and now has officially cleared protocol.
It’s not clear if he will be active for the team’s Week Four game this Sunday afternoon against the Houston Texans. In his absence, the team dressed CB Desmond King for the first time last week, though he did not return a kick, nor did he play a defensive snap. He became just the third defensive kick returner used in Mike Tomlin’s tenure, joining Allen Rossum in 2007 and Justin Gilbert in 2016.
Signed in 2022, Olszewski has caught five passes while rushing another eight times. He’s also logged eight punt returns and three on kicks. Miscues have cost him opportunities. Last year, early-season fumbles caused him to lose his returning job to WR Steven Sims. This year, prior to being concussed, he foolishly fielded a kick that was headed out of bounds, putting the Steelers at their own nine as opposed to the 40.
