The Pittsburgh Steelers elected to keep seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster for 2022. Calvin Austin III is still recovering from a foot injury, so Gunner Olszewski, Steven Sims and Miles Boykin all survived the Steelers final cut. Pittsburgh’s offense is expected to struggle during the 2022 NFL season, so the defense and special teams will have to perform at or near peak performance for the Steelers to make the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Gunner Olszewski (89). | Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Olszewski and Sims have both spent a significant portion of their young NFL careers returning kicks and punts. Olszewski was a First Team All-Pro kick returner in 2020 for the New England Patriots and is an enthusiastic tackler on punt coverage. He averaged over 17 yards per punt return in 2020 and ran a punt back for a touchdown. Olszewski is a north and south returner who runs decisively on special teams. He has finished in the top 10 in punt return yards in three consecutive seasons and led the league in 2020.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Steven Sims (82). | Jordan Schofield/Steeler Nation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Sims returned kicks for the Washington Commanders in 2019 and 2020. He returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during his rookie season. He has averaged nearly 25 yards per kick return for his career. He also returned punts for Washington, but was less effective averaging only 6.2 yards per return for his career. He did have a great punt return for the Steelers against the Seattle Seahawks in the first preseason game in 2022.
Ray-Ray McCloud spent the last two seasons as the primary returner for the Steelers. He led the league in total combined return yards with 1,143 total yards last season. He also fumbled six times during his tenure in Pittsburgh. The Steelers elected to move on after the end of the 2021 season. Olszewski is a better punt returner than McCloud and Sims is a better kick returner than the former black and gold return man. If the pair are used against the Cincinnati Bengals as a tandem that plays to their individual strengths, the net result should be a positive for the Steelers on special teams.
Gunner Olszewski (89) celebrates a touchdown with Mitch Trubisky (10). | Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Both Olszewski and Sims have made big plays on offense during the preseason. Olszewski caught the Steelers first touchdown in 2022 on a great pivot route that left him wide open for Mitch Trubisky in the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks. He seems to have the inside track for the fourth receiver spot while Austin recovers from his injury. He rarely saw the field for the New England Patriots as a wide receiver, but has demonstrated a knack for getting open in training camp and preseason games.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Steven Sims (82). | Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Sims executed a fantastic jet sweep for 38 yards against the Seahawks in the preseason opener and made several nice grabs against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. He has more experience as a receiver than the former New England Patriots product, but has worked less with the first team during the preseason. Sims has been effective and has demonstrated that he has more big play ability than Olszewski, but he has not developed the same bond with Trubisky.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Will the Pittsburgh special teams be a shining spot in 2022? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
