Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has worked over the past two years to try to establish himself as one of the best in the game at his position. He’s done a pretty solid job of it over that time, but he knows he still has work to do. He’s hoping to get some of that work in with his peers soon, having been invited to attend this year’s Tight End University, and he shared with Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette what he’s hoping to profit from it in his game.
“I’m looking to learn releases. That’s my biggest thing, I think, that I need to grow in my game”, he told Batko. “Being able to get off man [coverage], different release points in the route. And just kind of the overall run-after-the-catch ability. That’s something Coach [Mike Tomlin] has harped on. I think I’m pretty good at that, but I have to continue to get better at that”.
The run after the catch, to his credit, is a big area in which he improved last season, though it wasn’t all about him. It was also about shifts in how he was used, getting more opportunities to run in space. He picked up an extra half a yard after the catch per reception last year, but his average depth of target was a full three yards further afield as well. That took his yards per catch from 8.3 as a rookie to a much more robust 11.6 last year.
Tight End University, for those not in the know, follows along the lines of a number of other gatherings that have formed in recent years for different position groups within the league. Essentially, some key, notable members of these positions band together and host invited players to spend some time together, ranging from talking shop, having fun, and actually doing some work. When it comes to o-line and d-line meetups, I can only assume there are also wing-eating contests.
This particular positional gathering was initiated by some of the top names in the game in 2021, headed by George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and the retired Greg Olsen. Freiermuth told Batko that he has been in touch with Kittle about training together, adding that he wanted to attend last year as an invitee but a scheduling conflict with a pre-planned family vacation prevented it.
Over his first two seasons as a former second-round draft choice, the tight end has accumulated 123 receptions for 1229 yards and nine touchdowns. While his reception numbers were pretty stable from year to year, he did much better yardage-wise last season, but fell far shorter in the end zone.
Of course, so did the rest of the team. The Steelers only had 12 touchdown passes, one of which was thrown by a wide receiver who was traded during the year, so that should give you a clue about where the passing game was at the time. With Kenny Pickett ready to break out in 2023, Freiermuth figures to be a big target for the young quarterback, having already become a safety valve late last season.
