Gunner Olszewski participated in the Minnesota pro day back in the spring and told a local television station that he'd play "for three hots and a cot."
Feed him, give him a place to sleep, and he's good to go.
Well, Olszewski will be playing for much more than that as the Patriots begin their season. According to a league source, he's survived Saturday's cuts and been kept for the team's initial 53-man roster.
It wasn't until just before the deadline that Olszewski realized he'd be saved from going through the waiver process. Earlier in the day he'd been told that he was going to be released, though the Patriots made it clear they hoped to keep him on the practice squad.
Then, about 15 minutes before the deadline for all NFL clubs to have their rosters at the 53-man limit, the Patriots informed corner Keion Crossen that he'd been traded to the Texans. That freed up a roster spot for Olszewski.
It was a wild few hours for the Division 2 Bemidji State product who went undrafted in the spring. But the news that he'd made the club to start the season served as the culmination of what was the feel-good story of the summer in Foxboro.
A college corner, Olszewski's hands and short-area quickness were deployed on the offensive side of the ball when the Patriots brought him in. Desperate for receiver help, they had him make the switch from defense to offense. They also used him as a returner.
New England Patriots
It took some time for him to flash in Patriots practices, but Olszewski was durable and as the injury bug bit others at his position, he saw his reps increase to the point where he was catching passes from Tom Brady during joint practices against the Titans.
While Olszewski continued to progress on the offensive side, his return ability is what opened eyes in New England's third and fourth preseason games. He returned four punts for 63 yards against the Panthers two weeks ago -- putting on display a style that was equal parts elusive and aggressive -- and he returned three kicks for 77 yards against the Giants.
Olszewski made five catches during the preseason for 69 yards and he even recorded a tackle when the Patriots used him on the defensive side of the ball in the preseason finale. But his execution in the kicking game probably gave him enough good tape that he had a chance of being claimed elsewhere if the Patriots let him go.
"Well, he's very competitive and he works hard and he's improved," Bill Belichick said of Olszewski Friday. "He has a long way to go but he's made a lot of improvement. He's making a big jump from where he played to where he's playing now, positionally and so forth. He's improved a great deal."
Keeping Olszewski gives the Patriots a return option that should allow Julian Edelman to take those duties off his plate. It also won't force Jakobi Meyers -- who saw reps as a returner this summer but looked less comfortable in that regard when compared to Olszewski -- into an important role on special teams in a meaningful game.
The expectation is that Meyers won't have any trouble making the roster, either, but with Olszewski winning a spot the Patriots keep alive a 16-year streak of keeping an undrafted rookie on their roster to start the season.
Will Olszewski make the type of impact that someone like Malcolm Butler did? Or David Andrews? Or Jonathan Jones? Or JC Jackson? That'd be asking a lot. But give it some time. The Patriots bought him a little more of that when they opted to keep him just before Saturday's deadline.
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