Gunner Olszewski the Steelers’ latest try at finding consistency, 'splash’ in return game

Can Gunner Olszewski succeed where the likes of Allen Rossum, Dri Archer and Ryan Switzer did not? Can he even provide equivalent production to his predecessor?

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ primary kickoff and punt returner roles, many have tried in the Mike Tomlin era. Few have succeeded.

Signed as a free agent over the past week, former New England Patriots return man Olszewski agreed to a two-year contract. History tells us Olszewski is no sure bet to keep his gig with the Steelers for that long.

In the 14 seasons since Tomlin was hired as coach in 2007, the Steelers had a different primary kickoff returner every year. When it comes to punts, the only player to lead the team in return attempts more than once was Antonio Brown.

As recently as two seasons ago, Olszewski was deemed the best in the #NFL at returning punts, via All-Pro balloting. https://t.co/untTeNfelT

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) March 21, 2022

Brown was an All-Pro wide receiver Tomlin was loathe to expose to injury risk on special teams. That Brown six times served as the Steelers’ primary punt returner for a season shows how committed Tomlin was to getting high-level production out of the return game. It also exhibits that the team has had so much trouble finding someone who can do it.

It wasn’t until last season that a player had the Steelers’ most punt returns in consecutive seasons: Ray-Ray McCloud, who was an August 2020 signing. But McCloud agreed to a two-year, $10.4 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers on March 17, a day before the Steelers agreed to sign Olszewski for $4.1 million over the same term.

“My agent had just called me when I was back home in Texas and said ‘Pittsburgh gave us a really good offer.’ I said, ‘Let’s go,’” Olszewski said. “Two-year deal, so it showed to me that they had a lot of interest in me.

“I am real excited.”

Newest Steeler Gunner Olszewski on the art of the return and what makes a good punt/kick returner pic.twitter.com/Fq0GSllRzV

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) March 21, 2022

Olszewski is Tomlin’s latest attempt at snagging what has been something of a white whale for him: an elite return game. It started days before his first game as coach, when the Steelers traded for veteran Allen Rossum.

Rossum ranked 30th in punt-return average and 21st in kickoff-return average that season.

It hasn’t gotten much better — at least on a consistent basis — in the decade-and-a-half since.

The Steelers have finished in the bottom six in kickoff return average five times and never finished among the top seven. Their average rank among the 32 NFL teams in kickoff returns during Tomlin’s 15 seasons is 18th.

The Steelers also have more finishes among the bottom five in the league in punt-return average (four) than they do top 10 (two) under Tomlin. The average ranking? Also 18th.

This, despite 14 kickoff returners in 15 seasons and trying just about everything they could: veterans who had been Pro Bowl returners (Rossum, Jacoby Jones), Pro Bowl wide receivers (Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Diontae Johnson), trades (Ryan Switzer) and, now, a free-agent signing.

Olszewski was first-team All-Pro two years ago when he averaged 17.3 yards on punt returns, including a touchdown.

The best average the Steelers have had under Tomlin is 12.8 in 2013. The Steelers have gotten five punt and three kickoff return touchdowns in Tomlin’s 15 seasons, but five of those eight came from Brown and just one has come over the past four years.

With McCloud as the deep man, the Steelers ranked 12th in the NFL in both kickoff- and punt-return average in 2020, and they were 15th and 11th in those categories, respectively, last season.

Only once before 2020 during the Tomlin tenure had the Steelers finished among the top half of the NFL in both return categories: in 2011, when it was Brown handling each duty.

Olszewski is the Steelers’ latest try in their quest to find many happy returns.

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