Quietly, third-year Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is working his way into the discussion regarding the best tight ends in the NFL.
Through two seasons, Freiermuth has hauled in 123 passes for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns. That included a stellar rookie season in 2021 with Ben Roethlisberger under center, hauling in 60 passes for 497 yards and seven touchdowns. In Year 2, Freiermuth increased his receptions to 63 and yards to 732, but the touchdowns didn’t follow as the Steelers had some struggles in the red zone offensively.
Overall, the consensus is that Freiermuth is a top 10 tight end in the NFL, no matter where you look. Last October, Freiermuth ranked No. 7 in the NFL by NextGenStats’ rankings. He believes he’s a top 10 tight end and can reach top 5 in the NFL with a “good season” in 2023.
Now, Freiermuth lands at No. 7 overall in CBS Sports’ top 10 tight end rankings ahead of the 2023 season.
“Freiermuth is one of the game’s more exciting young tight ends. After a solid rookie season in 2021 where he hauled in seven touchdowns, the 24-year-old followed that up with a solid sophomore campaign playing alongside rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. Freiermuth’s numbers in 2022 compare to 49ers star tight end George Kittle, albeit with Kittle playing one fewer game in the regular season,” CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan writes. “Of his 63 catches last year, 37 of them resulted in a first down, which was higher than Kittle, Dalton Schultz, David Njoku, and Evan Engram (who just missed cracking the top 10). Freiermuth is also a tight end who has been a willing blocker throughout the early stages of his career, but it will be fascinating to see what the addition of rookie Darnell Washington could do to free him up more as a receiver in 2023.”
Freiermuth certainly is one of the most exciting young tight ends in the NFL, in large part due to his consistency, both from a production standpoint and with his hands in general. He seemingly catches everything and is a chain-moving machine. As Sullivan pointed out, Freiermuth had 37 receptions resulting in first downs last season, which was fifth in the NFL at the tight end position behind Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson and Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert.
While Freiermuth did see a dip in production from a touchdowns standpoint, that doesn’t take away from the consistency that Freiermuth has put on display in his first two seasons. He’s a trusty tight end, one who catches anything in his vicinity, serving as that true security blanket for his quarterback.
Though his work as an in-line blocker is passable, it’s certainly not a strength of his game. With rookie Darnell Washington now in the fold, that likely takes away some of Freiermuth’s responsibilities as an in-line blocker. That could free him up even more as a receiver, allowing the Steelers to potentially move him around a bit more in 2023 in search of mismatches against linebackers and safeties, which could lead to an even bigger season in 2023.
Should he crack 60+ receptions for a third season in a row, he’ll have an NFL record all to himself. That type of season could certainly push him closer to the top 5, though the top 3 is already set in stone with Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, San Francisco’s George Kittle and Baltimore’s Mark Andrews.
Make no mistake though: Freiermuth is an emerging star tight end in the NFL.
