Tag: Gunner Olszewski

Giants hopeful to have Gunner Olszewski in Week 1 vs. Vikings

The New York Giants are hopeful that wide receiver Gunner Olszewski (groin) will be healthy enough to serve as their return man in Week 1.

The New York Giants placed their primary returner, Isaiah McKenzie (foot), on season-ending injured reserve (IR) this week and are hopeful that their other top returner, Gunner Olszewski, will be ready for the season opener on September 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Olszewski has been out the past few weeks with a groin injury and the Giants are hoping time is the great healer here.

“We’ll see. I mean he’s making progress,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Thursday. “He was out here catching punts yesterday. I think he’s making improvement. I would hope so, but again, it’s 10 days or is it 10 days away, I think. 10 days, 11 days away. We’ll see where he’s at.”

Daboll was asked who will be returning kicks and punts should Olszewski not be ready for the Vikings in Week 1.

“Yeah, that’s internal discussions,” he said. “We have guys back there catching balls. There’s always things we could do to add to the roster if we wanted to, but I think Gunner is moving in the right direction.”

The Giants had wide receivers Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson fielding kicks in practice on Thursday.

Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. could also be an option as he had return experience in college.

Ultimately, the Giants hope it doesn’t come to that and Olszewski will be ready to go come Week 1.

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Report: Giants are searching for return men as injuries mount

The New York Giants are reportedly on the hunt for return men with Gunner Olszewski (groin) and Isaiah McKenzie (foot, knee) injured.

The New York Giants promise to be active on the waiver wire following final cuts at 4:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, and they are likely to hone in on a specific position group.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that general manager Joe Schoen & Co. will be searching for return men — specifically, a punt returner — with Gunner Olszewski (groin) and Isaiah McKenzie (foot, knee) injured.

Leonard lists wide receiver Samori Toure (Packers), cornerback Brandon Codrington (Jets), and Easop Winston Jr. (Seahawks) as potential targets should they get cut by their respective teams.

Wide receiver Kadarius Toney is likely to be cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, but we suspect the Giants won’t be interested in a reunion.

In addition to return men, the Giants may also be in the market for secondary help, and possibly another defensive lineman or edge rusher.

One thing is for certain, with the sixth overall waiver wire priority, Schoen and the Giants will be very active leading up to 4:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday when the practice squad can be established.

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Giants’ Gunner Olszewski ‘will be out for a little while’

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll says return man Gunner Olszewski suffered an injury in practice this week and will be out a while.

The New York Giants suffered a multitude of injuries earlier this week in practice and then a load more during Saturday’s 28-10 loss to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

The overwhelming number of injuries forced the Giants to overhaul the backend of their roster in recent days and that trend shows no signs of slowing down.

Even before taking the field on Saturday, the Giants added a new injury to the growing list: wide receiver Gunner Olszewski.

Following Saturday’s defeat, head coach Brian Daboll revealed that Olszewski sat out due to a groin injury suffered in practice, admitting that the return man is likely to miss some time.

“Gunner had an injury (during) Friday practice,” Daboll told reporters. “Gunner will be out for a little while.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Olszewski could miss up to a month.

Olszewski is fighting for a roster spot at a suddenly loaded position. His primary competition, wide receiver and return specialist Isaiah McKenzie, is healthy and close to Daboll both on and off the field.

During Saturday’s game, McKenzie returned three kickoffs for 83 yards (27.7 average) and one punt for 12 yards. He now appears to have the inside track over the injured Olszewski.

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Giants’ Gunner Olszewski named to PFN’s 2020s All-Decade Team

New York Giants return man Gunner Olszewski has been named to Pro Football Network’s (way-too-early) 2020s All-Decade Team.

We may be just four seasons into the 2020s, but that hasn’t stopped Pro Football Network from compiling an All-Decade Team.

Allow them to explain:

This is Pro Football Network’s NFL All-Decade Team for the 2020s. We’re not quite halfway through the decade, but we already have a sense of which players will come to define this period of the NFL.

PFN’s All-Decade Team isn’t a projection; it’s a retrospective of the last four seasons. So, while C.J. Stroud, Puka Nacua, or other exciting players with limited track records could eventually end up on the 2020s All-Decade Team, they won’t be highlighted here.

With that out of the way, how did the New York Giants fare? As expected, not too well but they also weren’t blanked.

Many might assume that running back Saquon Barkley or nose tackle Dexter Lawrence would make the cut, but neither appeared on PFN’s 2020s All-Decade Team. Instead, the sole Giants honor belongs to wide receiver and return specialist, Gunner Olszewski.

Gunner Olszewski was 0.1 yards behind (Devin) Duvernay and earned a first-team All-Pro nod of his own in 2020. He joined the New York Giants last October before returning a punt for a 94-yard touchdown in Week 17.

Olszewski helped stabilize the Giants’ return game when he was picked up last October. He went on to average 11.9 yards per punt return and scored the aforementioned Week 17 touchdown.

There’s little doubt that Olszewski is one of the best punt returners in football but still, this entire All-Decade Team seems like an odd exercise here in June 2024.

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Report: Giants re-signing Gunner Olszewski to one-year deal

The New York Giants have agreed to terms with wide receiver and return-man Gunner Olszewski on a one-year deal.

The 2024 NFL season begins in just two days, and today marked the beginning of the two-day period where teams and unrestricted free agents can begin to discuss contracts and enter into negotiations.

The New York Giants have made minimal moves as of this writing, but have reportedly agreed to terms with wide receiver and return specialist, Gunner Olszewski.

After spending time in New England and Pittsburgh, Olszewski joined the Giants in 2023 after the season started. While not used as a receiver, Olszewski stepped in as a punt returner. In 10 games, he recorded 273 return yards on 23 attempts, one return for a touchdown, and seven fair catches.

The Giants’ woes on special teams were evident in the first game against the Dallas Cowboys last season. Adjustments were made by Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, including bringing in Olszewski as a return man.

The benefit of keeping Olszewski around, aside from his consistent play on special teams, is that he can also serve as a receiver. He wasn’t called on for that last season, but he is an option should the need arise going forward.

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Giants vs. Eagles: 6 keys to victory in Week 18

The Giants host the Eagles in the final week of the 2023 regular season, and the Giants must do six things to end the season with a victory.

It’s the final week of the 2023 NFL regular season. For many teams, including the New York Giants, it’s the end of the road and a chance to find areas of opportunity to focus on during the offseason.

But there’s still one more game to play; one more time to show up. For some, it might be their last time in blue.

Even though the Giants’ season ends against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, they get to end the year at home and they have an opportunity to ruin the Eagles’ chances to win the division.

Ending the season on a high note would be nice after the roller coaster ride that was this season. To get that win, there are six things the Giants must do on Sunday.

Giants’ Gunner Olszewski named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

New York Giants return man Gunner Olszewski has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 17.

New York Giants wide receiver Gunner Olszewski has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17.

With just over 3:00 remaining in the game and the Giants trailing 26-19, Olszewski fielded an Ethan Evans punt and returned it 94 yards for the score. It was the longest punt return of the entire NFL season and the longest since December 12, 2021 (Jakeem Grant).

The return also etched Olszewski’s name in the Giants’ history books as it was the longest punt return for the team in 95 years and the second-longest of all-time (Al Youngblood, 95 yards in 1928).

Olszewski’s punt return for a touchdown was the Giants’ first since December 6, 2015 (Dwayne Harris).

“We got some good blocks on their gunners and then Gunner got into that mix, did a great job of really securing the football. Two hands on it, spun out of it and kind of reset where he was going, and we had a whole wall in front of him, but it starts with blocking the gunners and the ball security because he got into that mix and spun out and had a good finish,” head coach Brian Daboll said earlier this week.

The long return glossed over what was a less-than-stellar game for Olszewski. He had previously allowed a punt to sail over his head and fielded another just shy of the goal line.

Olszewski finished the game with four punt returns for 108 yards and the one touchdowns.

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Giants report card: How we graded Big Blue in Week 17 loss

The New York Giants fell to the Los Angeles Rams, 26-25, in Week 17 and the Giants Wire team grades reflect that performance.

The New York Giants were defeated once again, this time on New Year’s Eve by the Los Angeles Rams, 26-25.

The Giants nearly pulled off the upset but fell short twice — once on a late two-point conversion attempt and another time on a potential game-winning field goal. The Giants now fall to 5-11 and third in the NFC East.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Giants in this loss.

Giants can’t overcome self-inflicted wounds, fall to Rams, 26-25

The New York Giants couldn’t get out of their own way in Week 17, handing the Los Angeles Rams a 26-25 victory.

The New York Giants (5-10) played host to the Los Angeles Rams (8-7) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a clash between two of the NFC’s most storied franchises.

The Rams entered the game winners of five of their last six while the Giants came in losers of their last two games.

The Giants were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16 while the Rams came in as the NFC’s sixth seed.

No one knew what to expect but what they got was one of the most entertaining football games of the year — even if it was rather ugly and ended poorly for the Giants.

Giants’ Gunner Olszewski returns punt 94 yards for spectacular touchdown

Gunner Olszewski set a Giants team record with a 94-yard punt return for a TD

The Los Angeles Rams had Gunner Olszewski in their grasp … and then he was gone for a 94-yard punt return.

The play brought Big Blue within 26-25. On the PAT, the Rams were offsides. That caused Brian Daboll to audible and go for a two-point conversion.

Saquon Barkley was wide open but Tyrod Taylor missed him and the Giants still trailed 26-25.