HEADLINES

Gunner Olszewski

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/23

October 28th, 2023 at 7:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the gameday elevations and other minor moves made around the league in advance of Week 8:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Wilkinson’s loss will be notable for the Cardinals, given his status as an entrenched starter at the left guard spot. The 28-year-old joined Arizona on a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum in free agency after stints in Denver, Chicago and Atlanta. Trystan Colon replaced him in the starting lineup in Week 7, and that will likely continue for the time being. Wilkinson will be out for at least four weeks as a result of the IR move.

Ridgeway has been out since Week 1, his Texans debut. The former 49er joined the Texans in a move which allowed him to continue working under head coach DeMeco Ryans. Ridgeway ended last season on IR, so he will be looking for an extended run of availability in his new home. A veteran of 78 games (and 19 starts), he will aim to carve out a rotational role up front.

Peters was brought in by the Seahawks while they were dealing with injury problems at both tackle spots. Blindside blocker Charles Cross has since returned, so Peters’ most familiar spot will not be available if he is to make his Seattle debut on Sunday. The fact the latter is healthy and in game shape does mean, however, that he will be eligible to play in a 19th NFL season.

Giants, WR Gunner Olszewski Agree To Deal

October 23rd, 2023 at 1:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after Gunner Olszewski was released, he has found a new opportunity. The veteran receiver and returner has agreed to a deal with the Giants, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Olszewski joined Pittsburgh last March in a move which marked an end to his highly-acclaimed time in New England. The 26-year-old didn’t receive as many looks in the return game with the Steelers as he did with the Patriots, and his pair of fumbles in limited action helped lead to his release last week. Now, he will look to regain his previous form in New York.

This is a practice squad agreement, Pelissero adds, but teams have routinely taken the gameday elevation path with notable players in situations such as this one. Olszewski should have an immediate path to playing time with the Giants, given the team’s struggles in the return game this season. Rookie Eric Gray‘s issues with respect to ball security continued on Sunday, as he muffed a punt for the third time this year.

That caused the Giants to turn to fellow wideout Sterling Shepard, then Darius Slayton, in the punt return role. The former fumbled a punt during the Week 7 win, illustrating the need for further moves to be made. As a vested veteran, Olszewski did not pass through waivers and was free to immediately sign with any interested team. He will provide New York with a more experienced third phase contributor as he looks to provide them with a repeat of his 2020 performance.

That year, the former UDFA led the NFL in punt return average (17.3 yards), and ran one punt back for a touchdown. He also averaged 23.2 yards per return on kickoffs, which helped earn him first-team All-Pro honors. If he can return to that form, the Giants (who entered the day with just $2.3MM in cap space) will have alleviated their issues in the return game and Olszewski could play his way into an extended look in the Big Apple.

Steelers To Release WR Gunner Olszewski

October 20th, 2023 at 1:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Steeler since signing with the team in March 2022, Gunner Olszewski looks to be on his way out of Pittsburgh. The Steelers are releasing the veteran receiver and return specialist Friday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Olszewski saw more time as a return man with the Patriots, earning first-team All-Pro honors back in 2020. He has only served in that capacity on a part-time basis in Pittsburgh. Thus far this season, Olszewski has logged just three combined returns. This move could clear the way for Diontae Johnson to return. The fifth-year starter is expected to be activated from IR ahead of Week 7. As of Friday, the Steelers only have four receivers on their 53-man roster.

The fifth-year specialist has fumbled twice, however, despite only logging four touches in his two games. The Steelers will save nearly $1MM by making this move. Because the 27-year-old backup is a vested veteran, he will avoid the waiver wire. Had the Steelers hung onto Olszewski past the trade deadline, he would have needed to pass through waivers. This transaction also would allow Olszewski to immediately pass through to the Steelers’ practice squad, though it is unclear if the team wants to retain the veteran in any capacity.

After spending his entire rookie season on IR, Calvin Austin is in place as Pittsburgh’s punt returner. The Steelers used Desmond King as one of their kick returners this season, making this week rather key regarding Pittsburgh’s special teams. King received his walking papers earlier this week, having only played one defensive snap during his brief run with the AFC North franchise. Olszewski only totaled five offensive snaps and eight ST plays this season.

Last year, Olszewski was closer to a part-timer, He logged 216 offensive plays and 106 on special teams. While the Steelers only deployed Olszewski as a sporadic return man, he spent three years as the Patriots’ primary punt returner. The former UDFA’s 17.3-yard average led the NFL in 2020, producing the All-Pro nod.

Minor NFL Transactions:  3/18/22

March 18th, 2022 at 8:49am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals 

  • Re-Signed: LB Ezekiel Turner

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Patriots RB Damien Harris Clears Concussion Protocol

November 17th, 2021 at 10:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots offense will get some reinforcement for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons. Running back Damien Harris returned to practice today, an indication he’s cleared concussion protocol and should be good to go for TNF.

The former third-round pick has been having a career season in 2021, collecting 610 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns. Before suffering a concussion in Week 9, Harris had collected at least 80 rushing yards in three straight games. The 24-year-old should find himself back atop the depth chart on Thursday evening.

With Harris out of the lineup, rookie Rhamondre Stevenson ran wild last weekend, collecting 114 total yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots are also rostering running backs Brandon Bolden and J.J. Taylor, while veteran pass-catcher James White is out for the season.

Gunner Olszewski also overcame concussion protocol and should play tomorrow against the Falcons. The 24-year-old was forced to miss Sunday’s win over the Browns, but he otherwise appeared in all nine previous games in 2021. Olszewski has mostly appeared on special teams, having returned 10 kicks for 242 yards and 18 punts for 248 yards.

Patriots Place Sony Michel On IR, Activate Damien Harris

October 5th, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots are doing some major shuffling with their backfield. New England is placing running back Sony Michel on injured reserve and activating fellow running back Damien Harris off IR, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The team also activated receiver Gunner Olszewski and placed safety Cody Davis on injured reserve.

With the new rules this year, Michel will have to miss at least three games before returning. It’s a bummer for Michel since he was coming off by far his best game of the season, when he rushed for 117 yards on only nine carries against the Raiders. He had been a disappointment through the first couple of weeks, and will now be hitting the shelf. Fortunately, Rapoport noted in a follow-up tweet that he was told Michel could be activated relatively quickly and it’s not a season-ending injury.

A third-round pick last year, Harris barely played as a rookie and was a healthy scratch most weeks. He reportedly had a strong summer though, and was looking like he might be the Patriots’ starter to open the year before a hand injury sent him to IR. Now he’s back and figures to be in the mix tonight against Kansas City, although with James White and Rex Burkhead also present it’s unclear how much run he’ll get.

That being said, with Michel hitting injured reserve there’s a clear lane for Harris to shine if he can make the most of the opportunity. With Cam Newton out due to COVID-19 and Brian Hoyer getting the start at quarterback, the Pats figure to be running the ball frequently on Monday night. A first-round pick in 2018, Michel impressed as a rookie before taking a step back last year. This quad injury he picked up against Las Vegas certainly isn’t what he needed to get back on track.

Olszewski, a 2019 UDFA, served as New England’s punt returner for half of last season. Davis is a core special teamer who has yet to play a defensive snap this season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/20

September 12th, 2020 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves. Many of these roster decisions involve practice squad promotions. Under the new CBA, teams are permitted to promote two P-squad players without corresponding roster moves per week. Teams can carry 55 players on their rosters for game days and can have up to 48 active.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Promoted: RB Nathan Cottrell, TE Ben Ellefson

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Nate Brooks

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Patriots To Activate T Isaiah Wynn

November 19th, 2019 at 3:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Isaiah Wynn will make another return to the Patriots’ active roster. The second-year tackle missed the past eight games due to turf toe, but Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) the Patriots will move him from IR back into their starting lineup.

The 2018 first-round pick’s NFL odyssey has not gone smoothly. After an Achilles tear wiped out his would-be rookie season, Wynn suffered an injury in Week 2 that sent him to IR. But the Patriots are set to give him another try. Considering their unusually shaky left tackle situation, Wynn staying healthy this time would represent a key development for the defending Super Bowl champions.

New England has used in-season signing Marshall Newhouse at left tackle for the past eight games. While Pro Football Focus slots the journeyman as a middling tackle this season (No. 48 overall), he’s been an obvious downgrade from Trent Brown. The Pats have benefited from a steady succession at left tackle for nearly 30 years, going from Bruce Armstrong to Matt Light to Nate Solder to Brown. The franchise had designs on Wynn continuing that pipeline, but the North Carolina State product’s injury trouble has put his future in question.

The Pats used the first of their two 2018 first-round picks on Wynn. While he’s only played 82 snaps as a pro, PFF did rate his limited work as positive. He will have a chance to build on that soon, likely this week against the Cowboys.

To make room for Wynn on their 53-man roster, the Pats placed wide receiver Gunner Olszewski on IR. Olszewski is battling ankle and hamstring injuries.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/23/19

May 23rd, 2019 at 5:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Claimed off waivers: TE Andrew Vollert

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR Gunner Olszewski

Washington Redskins