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Giants Add Special Teams Help to Practice Squad

The Giants continue to have issues on punt and kickoff returns.

Patricia Traina

Giants Add Special Teams Help to Practice Squad
Giants Add Special Teams Help to Practice Squad /
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The New York Giants are signing special teams ace and return specialist Gunner Olszewski to the practice squad, per multiple reports. 

Olszewski provides some insurance to the Giants' struggling special teams unit, which on Sunday may have lost core member Gary Brightwell to a hamstring injury and which has also struggled to find a reliable punt returner from a group that has included rookie Eric Gray and veteran Sterling Shepard.

The Steelers released Olszewski on Saturday after spending about a season and a quarter with them. The wide receiver, who played his college ball at Bemidji State, originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots in 2019. He spent three seasons with the Patriots before joining the Steelers in 2022.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Olszewski, a converted cornerback, was named a first-team All-Pro in 2020, the same season in which he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 13 that year. 

He's appeared in 55 games with four starts and has returned 75 punts for 897 yards and one touchdown, a 12.0 yards per return average. Olszewski has also returned 41 kickoffs for 904 yards, a 22.0 yards per return average.

The Giants had an opening on their practice squad after agreeing to mutually part ways with receiver Cole Beasley last week.

 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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