Pat Freiermuth

Freiermuth is coming off a down year, having recorded just 308 yards and two touchdowns over 12 games in his third NFL season after scoring seven times as a rookie and compiling 732 yards in his sophomore season. He had the first IR stint of his three-year career due to a hamstring injury and dropped to 32 catches after reaching 60 receptions in each of his first two campaigns. Part of the problem for Freiermuth was a lack of chemistry with quarterback Kenny Pickett, who threw just two TD passes to the 25-year-old tight end in 24 starts over the last two seasons. That issue has been alleviated, as Pittsburgh retooled its quarterback room by bringing in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. The Steelers also traded away wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who finished second on the team with 87 targets last season. The 6-foot-5 Freiermuth remains atop Pittsburgh’s TE depth chart over 2023 third-round draft pick Darnell Washington, and improved quarterback play could help unearth the red-zone upside Freiermuth flashed as a rookie, but the Steelers offense figures to be run-first again under new coordinator Arthur Smith.

Freiermuth’s involvement as a pass catcher grew significantly in 2022, his second NFL season, except in the red zone where Mitch Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett were unable to utilize the tight end as effectively as veteran Ben Roethlisberger had the previous year. The 2021 second-round pick scored only twice in 2022 after scoring seven times as a rookie, though Freiermuth otherwise set new highs with 63 catches, 732 yards and 98 targets in his sophomore season. He tied for fourth among tight ends in overall targets but finished in a tie for 10th with only 13 red-zone targets, well short of the 20 he saw in 2021. Freiermuth has yet to catch a touchdown from Pickett, who will mostly be working with the same receiving crew after the Steelers put more focus on their offensive line this offseason, settling for WR Allen Robinson and third-round rookie TE Darnell Washington as additions at the skill positions. Freiermuth sprained the ACL and MCL in his left knee during Pittsburgh’s season finale, but the injury didn’t require surgery to heal and isn't expected to impact his involvement in training camp.

Kyle Pitts deservedly drew most of the fanfare at tight end ahead of last year’s draft, but the Steelers found a good one 51 picks later in the second round. Freiermuth naturally took a few weeks to get acclimated, but after totaling just 11 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in his first five games, the Penn State product broke out with seven catches for 58 yards in Week 6 and never looked back, hauling in 49 passes for 397 yards and six touchdowns in his next 11 games. Freiermuth is more of a traditional chain-mover than a field-stretcher, but he has already established himself as a weapon near the goal line — his 20 red-zone targets tied for the league lead among tight ends, and his 13 catches on those targets came one shy of Travis Kelce’s league high at the position. Pittsburgh has an uncertain quarterback situation following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement this offseason, but whether it’s free-agent addition Mitch Trubisky or first-round pick Kenny Pickett, Freiermuth should be a reliable security blanket in his second year. While Freiermuth’s ceiling might not rival that of the league’s top tight ends, he has already shown he knows how to use his 258-pound frame, and further development could lead to a larger role outside the red zone as well.

Freiermuth was the second tight end selected in the 2021 NFL Draft after he spent three seasons at Penn State. He totaled 69 receptions for 875 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Nittany Lions and hauled in 23 catches for 310 yards and a touchdown in four games last year before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Eric Ebron will still likely handle most of the tight end duties in 2021, but Freiermuth could compete for targets as a rookie after Vance McDonald retired during the offseason.