Gunner Olszewski #89 of the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a position to make huge splashes in the NFL Draft. In that case, these three players may not be on the roster afterward.
The Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly avoided head coach Mike Tomlin securing his first losing season, as they finished the 2022 season with a 9-8 record. Even though they missed out on the playoffs, their future does look bright with quarterback Kenny Pickett at the helm. However, they need to build around him, on both sides of the football.
Pittsburgh made some big moves this offseason, such as signing cornerback Patrick Peterson and offensive guard Isaac Seumalo. But, the team still has the NFL Draft to bring in even more help to ensure that they can compete in what has become a very tough AFC. With new additions via the draft, that means that some players may face increased odds of moving on from the team.
Here are three players who might not be on the roster after the NFL Draft.
3 players who won’t be on the roster after NFL Draft, No. 3: Gunner Olszewski
The Steelers have two top wide receivers on their roster in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. Despite not having the touchdowns as he did in year’s past, Johnson is still capable of being a threat in the passing game. And then there’s Pickens, who showed that he can make some spectacular catches along the sidelines. But,. they could stand to add some depth this offseason.
As of this writing, Pittsburgh has yet to sign a legitimate top wide receiver in free agency. But, they could stand to add one in the NFL Draft.
No, they don’t have to use their 17th-overall pick on one, but they could use the 32nd pick that they acquired in the Chase Claypool trade with the Chicago Bears. There’s a strong chance that a first-round wide receiver drops to the second round, and the Steelers can swoop in to give Pickett another option.
When looking at the depth chart, Gunner Olszewski could be a cut candidate. The team signed him last offseason to a two-year contract after beginning his career with the New England Patriots. He shined as a returner with the Patriots. However, he was benched by the Steelers, as fellow wide receiver Steven Sims dominated in terms of the number of returns. Sims returned 17 kickoffs for 434 yards and 19 punts for 105 yards. Meanwhile, Olszewski returned three kickoffs for 30 yards and eight punts for 55 yards.
If the Steelers were to move on from Olszewski, the Steelers would save $2 million in cap space and account for $617,500 in dead cap space in 2023, per Spotrac.
