The Giants have one less special teams question right now, and it is not because Gunner Olszewski lost some fake camp battle. The current roster lists him on reserve/injured, not active. I am not going to frame him like he is out there winning a return job in practice.
Olszewski has real return experience and has done a little bit of everything in the league. I get why people see a veteran returner and assume he is a bubble guy who can save himself with three good preseason games. It is not the current picture.
The January and June Reuters photos are real. They show Olszewski with New York in a game and at OTAs. I hate when an old photo becomes the whole roster argument, though. A current reserve/injured designation has to come first.
For now, the Giants have to get their return answers from the active group. Any future decision on Olszewski needs an official update behind it, not a guess about what he might do once he is back.
Gunner Olszewski at Giants OTAs. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
I would have understood the camp angle if he were active. His return background makes him a useful football player. The Giants cannot count on that background to solve a current special teams question while he is listed on reserve/injured.
Special teams still carries real weight in every final roster decision. The conversation has to be about the active group right now, rather than Olszewski earning a spot in a competition he is not currently taking part in.
I am not putting a return date on him from a roster label. The designation can change, but that needs an official transaction or team update before anyone starts building a role around it.
For now, Olszewski is not part of the active camp race. The Giants need to evaluate their current return options without treating a January game photo or a June practice photo as present-day evidence.
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