4 Steelers who need to be benched before Week 3 (and 1 big name who doesn't)

Steelers need to bench Gunner Olszewski

It was hard to get behind the Gunner Olszewski signing when it happened a year and a half ago. While a former top return man, his value to diminishing as returns are phased out in the pro game. That said, there was hope that he would at least stabilize the returner position.

That hasn’t been the case, as he was benched last season due to fumble issues, and while he snuck onto the roster this year, he proved that he is still the same player as a year ago. Olszewski was forced into action last week due to the Anthony McFarland injury, and the results weren’t pretty.

It all started when he fielded a kickoff on the sideline and went right out of bounce. Had he not fielded that kick, the Steelers would have had the ball at the 40-yard line as opposed to around the 8. Even had he called for the fair catch it would have been a better choice than what he did. It was a stupid mistake and it set the offense back early in the drive.

For some reason, the Steelers seemed keen on using him on offense as well, and that was also a disaster. While he took a big hit on his lone catch, it resulted in a fumble that set up the Browns in their red zone. He did a lot of damage despite not being a featured player on this team.

At this point, the Steelers would be wise to look elsewhere at both receiver and return man. Olszewski has proven to be a liability, and he isn’t giving this team anything that they couldn’t find elsewhere. He needs to be put on the bench or released from this team outright.