After Ray-Ray McCloud left the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency in 2022, special teams coordinator, Danny Smith suddenly had a large gap to fill. McCloud established himself in Pittsburgh as one of the better returners in the NFL. The organization seemingly refused to pay him a two-year, $4 million contract, which is what the San Francisco 49ers scooped him up for. That's when the team went out and signed former New England Patriots wide receiver, Gunner Olszewski.
Unfortunately, Olszewski wasn't the 2020 All-Pro guy that he was with New England. That led to him being demoted from his return duties in the middle of the season. After averaging 23.2 yards per kick return in two full seasons with the Patriots, he saw just three opportunities there in 2022, averaging 15.3 yards per kick return. His punt returns weren't any better, as he averaged 6.9 yards on eight total returns there. Most importantly, he failed to take care of the ball.
His two costly fumbles were ultimately what led to the benching. With Calvin Austin III on IR, one guy made too much sense to take over the return duties: Steven Sims. Sims was one of the standouts at training camp in Latrobe, particularly flashing elusiveness on offense. His versatility helped him earn a spot on the 53-man roster. After not hearing anything about him all offseason, Houston Texans beat reporter, Aaron Wilson reported on Monday that Sims will be meeting with the AFC South squad.
His likely departure shouldn't come as a huge surprise, given the fact that we haven't heard his name much at all since the end of the season. After the trade of Chase Claypool and Olszewski's poor performance to begin the 2022 season, Sims was expected to step up in a big way. While he certainly saw the field more, it led to uninspiring results. On offense, he caught 14 passes for 104 yards on the season. Sims did provide some impact in the kick return game, as he averaged 25.5 yards per return on 17 opportunities.
Most notably, he had an 89-yard return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which played a big part in the team's victory. He had 19 punt returns for 105 yards, as he was a bit shaky in that aspect of the return game. Sims had his flashes of excellence, but those moments were too few and far between. Now, it seems he will be on his way out of town shortly. From there, it will be interesting to see what the front office does with Olszewski.
Could Austin Be Steelers' Returner In 2023?
With one year remaining on his two-year, $4.2 million deal, the team could save $2 million by releasing Olszewski. The Steelers would have to find a new returner though and Austin makes a lot of sense. While he sat out all of his rookie season in 2022, he competed with Olszewski and Sims for reps in the return game in training camp. He's expected to have a big impact on the offense in 2023, but he could end up doing the same on special teams as well.
Who do you want to be the team's return man in 2023? Are you surprised the team didn't consider bringing back Sims? Should the team cut ties with Olszewski or is Austin not enough insurance for the return game?
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