Over this past offseason, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett and second-year tight end Pat Freiermuth worked together this offseason in Pickett’s home state of New Jersey.
“His girlfriend lives about fifteen minutes from where I’m from, so when he was in town, I was like, we’ll definitely get together and we’ll train. So that was awesome. And I think, you know, a couple summers down the road now we’ll be able to link up together in Jersey and train a little bit,” Pickettsaid in a interview during Training Camp posted to Steelers.com.
It’s a good sign that Pickett and Freiermuth were able to get together and work out away from team activities over the summer. Not only does it help the two of them improve and build chemistry between the presumed QB of the future and his starting tight end, but it helps build team chemistry as a whole. Getting guys on the same page and ready to work together even during their breaks in the offseason helps the team as a whole get stronger and improve, and Pickett and Freiermuth taking an active role in doing so is a promising sign for the young offense.
Freiermuth had a fairly impressive rookie season, with 60 receptions for 497 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s expected to take a step forward in year two, and he’ll have a new quarterback under center. Whether that’s Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, or Mason Rudolph is currently unclear, but him getting work in with Pickett, who is expected to be the long-term starter, is very welcome.
The tight end is traditionally the quarterback’s safety blanket, and the connection between the players at those two positions usually needs to be strong. Pickett and Freiermuth getting a head-start on that relationship is a good sign for Pittsburgh now and for years to come. As a Steelers’ fan, you should be rooting for Freiermuth’s relationship with his girlfriend to work out so there can hopefully be some more New Jersey offseason workouts in the future.
Freiermuth is one of the players I’m most looking forward to watching as camp unfolds. I really think he has the potential to have a breakout year for Pittsburgh, regardless of who is under center. His progression from year one to year two is something I’m excited about, and It’ll be fun to watch him during his visit to Latrobe and Saint Vincent College as a member of the Steelers.
