The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 offseason practices concluded in the middle of June and next up is their annual training camp, which gets underway in late July at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Ahead of training camp, we will preview the team’s offseason roster three players at a time for you as part of a 30-post series. This Steelers roster preview, which includes outlooks for every player, will be done alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow.
The next three players we will preview ahead of Steelers 2023 training camp are Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, and Markus Golden.
TE Pat Freiermuth: The 2022 season for Freiermuth was a good one overall as the former second-round draft pick out of Penn State registered 63 receptions for 732 yards and two touchdowns. Through two NFL seasons, Freiermuth has recorded 60-plus receptions in each, joining only Keith Jackson as the only tight ends in NFL history to accomplish such a feat. Freiermuth played in 16 regular-season games in 2022 as he missed one due to a concussion. Even so, he still managed to log 743 offensive snaps, 60 more than he played during his 2021 rookie season. The end-of-season knee injury that Freiermuth sustained thankfully wasn’t serious.
Outlook: The 2023 season sets up as another particularly good one for Freiermuth. Such a season would include another 60-plus receptions for 700 or more yards and at least five touchdown receptions. Additionally, the hope is that Freiermuth can improve a little more as a run blocker when attached to the line of scrimmage. He attended Tight End University this offseason and it will be interesting to see how that extra offseason instruction improves his overall game.
It will also be interesting to see if Freiermuth can make it through the 2023 season without suffering any head injuries. He’s already sustained a few concussions in his first two NFL seasons and that’s a bit of a concern overall. Another solid season for Freiermuth in 2023 could result in a nice contract extension for him a year from now.
TE Zach Gentry: The Steelers re-signed Gentry to a cheapish one-year contract this offseason after he received a cold yet predictable greeting as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career. In 2022, Gentry, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Michigan, registered 19 receptions for 132 yards on 23 total targets and 577 offensive snaps played. While Gentry also played 72 snaps on special teams in 2022, 71 of those were on the field goal/extra point units. To date, Gentry has played in 40 total regular-season games and has registered just 39 receptions for 303 yards.
Outlook: With the Steelers selecting tight end Darnell Washington out of Georgia in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, it will be interesting to see how his addition impacts Gentry in 2023, assuming the Michigan product makes the 53-man roster, which seems highly likely as we sit here in early July. Gentry is not much of a receiving threat and on top of that, his run blocking, when attached to the line of scrimmage, hasn’t made the strides that most hoped it would when it comes to his overall size.
The Steelers look to play a heavy dose of bully ball in 2023 and such an attack might result in a lot more two tight end personnel groupings being used on offense. Even so, Gentry might be hard-pressed to see 400 offensive snaps played in 2023, especially if Washington quickly becomes the better second tight end option behind Freiermuth.
OLB Markus Golden: The Steelers signed Golden to a one-year veteran benefit contract back in May and that deal includes just $152,500 in guaranteed money. Last season, Golden, a second-round selection of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFL Draft, registered 48 total tackles, seven for loss, 20 quarterback hits, and 2.5 sacks in 17 games played. In total, Golden logged 781 defensive snaps played in 2022 with the Cardinals. With him signing with the Steelers, he’ll now be reunited with outside linebacker coach Denzel Martin, who was a teammate of his in college at Missouri.
Outlook: With Golden now in the fold, he’s now set to serve as the primary and experienced backup to starting outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in 2023, and that’s something the Steelers have needed on defense for quite some time now. While Golden is now 32 years of age, he still should be able to be productive in a non-starter role. While double-digit sacks aren’t likely in Golden’s future when it comes to the 2023 season, half a dozen in that statistical category isn’t out of the question. A healthy and productive 2023 season for Golden could result in him returning in 2024 via a little more lucrative contract.
Previous Posts In This Series:
90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Montravius Adams, Spencer Anderson, Calvin Austin III
90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Luq Barcoo, Keeanu Benton, Chris Boswell
90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Miles Boykin, Ja’Marcus Bradley, Hakeem Butler
90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Jordan Byrd, Dan Chisena, Le’Raven Clark
90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Mason Cole, Dylan Cook, James Daniels
90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Duke Dawson, Kevin Dotson, William Dunkle
90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Breiden Fehoko, Dez Fitzpatrick, Minkah Fitzpatrick
