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Gunner Olszewski has one of the most unlikely stories out of players on the New England Patriots’ roster.
He was an undrafted D-II cornerback that made a splash in the Patriots’ training camp last season and landed himself a spot on the 53-man roster as a wide receiver. Olszewski handled punt return responsibilities and brought a special energy to the team. His time on the field was limited after playing eight games and ending early on the injured reserve list in 2019.
Olszewski has rehabbed over the offseason and made his first appearance in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s looking to carve a role as a receiver, while holding down his role in special teams.
“I’m extremely pumped to be back,” Olszewski said on Thursday, transcribed by WEEI. “It was a tough go at it missing the first three weeks but the guys in the rehab and helped me out and got me back on the field but it’s so fun to be out there. I’ve missed quite a few games in my time here but I’m good now and I’m just looking forward to staying good and keep doing my part.”
Olszewski has one catch for 11 yards, as he’s content with playing the role behind Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd.
“You know, just whatever they need from me,” he said when asked about his role. “I just want to be there for whatever happens, if someone goes down, I step up and whatever happens happens.”
Bill Belichick talked up the second-year receiver and detailed his progress.
“I think he’s certainly improved, both physically and in terms of his rehab and conditioning, which started last year when he went on injured reserve during the season,” Belichick said. “And then as a player with a year of experience, even though it wasn’t a full year of on-the-field experience, his experience in the system and in the league I think gave him a big jump in terms of what he needed to do personally from a training standpoint, from a technique and skills improvement and also just knowing how the rest of the league is – what to anticipate in terms of coverages, kicking situations and so forth.
“He’s definitely a much better player and a much more experienced and aware player than he was last year, and I think that’s shown up in the course of camp and in the game that he played in last week. So, it’s good to have him back and hopefully he’ll be able to make an explosive play for us along the way here.”
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