Through his first two NFL seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth certainly has been productive, especially when it comes to his over reception numbers. After all, through two NFL seasons, Freiermuth has recorded at least 60 total receptions in each, joining only Keith Jackson as the only tight ends in NFL history to accomplish such a feat. No tight end in NFL history has hauled in 60 or more passes in each of his first three seasons though and it’s not unthinkable that Freiermuth could do just that in 2023.
Freiermuth has registered 123 receptions in the NFL, and should he catch at least 60 more in 2023, he would have no less than 183 for his young career. Since 1966, the start of the NFL’s Super Bowl era, only 92 players have managed to register 180 or more receptions in their first three NFL seasons, according to Pro Football Reference. Obviously, most of those 92 players on that list are wide receivers. However, there are 11 tight ends on that list, with a few of them being well-known names, Jackson one of them.
In his first three NFL seasons from 1988 to 1990, Jackson caught 194 total passes and he is tied for fourth overall with Antonio Gates when it comes to tight ends and their first three NFL seasons. Ahead of Jackson and Gates on that list are George Kittle (216), Jimmy Graham (215) and Kellen Winslow (202).
As for the other six tight ends who managed to register 180 or more receptions in their first three NFL season, that list of players includes a few more very recognizable names in the form of Jason Witten (188), Rob Gronkowski (187), Dwight Clark (185), Brandon Pettigrew (184), Jeremy Shockey (183) and Jordan Reed (182).
Obviously, the NFL now has a 17-game schedule, as of the 2021 season, so there is a bit of an asterisk overall when it comes to Freiermuth getting a chance to join this group of 11 tight ends come the end of the 2023 season. Even so, Freiermuth has only played in 32 regular-season games to date, which is the equivalent to two NFL seasons since 1978.
How tough will it be for Freiermuth to once again hit 60-reception mark in 2023? Well, for starters, there are potentially more mouths needing to be fed in the Steelers’ passing game with the arrival of veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson II via a trade in addition to another presumably fully healthy wide receiver in Calvin Austin III, who missed his rookie 2022 season with a foot injury. The Steelers also drafted another tight end this year in Darnell Washington.
On top of there being a few new passing targets on the Steelers’ roster to contend with, it’s also imperative that Freiermuth remains fully healthy in his third NFL season. While he has only missed two games in total due to concussion issues, he’s also failed to finish a few other contests in his first two seasons due to various injuries.
All of the aforementioned concerns aside when it comes to Freiermuth’s potential path to 60 or more receptions in 2023, you still have to like his chances when it comes to him hitting that magic number. Back in June, Mike Clay, the fantasy football expert at ESPN, updated his player stat projections for the 2023 season and he has Freiermuth down for exactly 60 receptions for 643 yards and four touchdowns. That certainly feels like a realistic ballpark for Freiermuth ahead of training camp getting underway.
In case you’re curious, legendary Steelers tight end Heath Miller managed to catch 120 passes in his first three NFL seasons from 2005 to 2007 and he didn’t miss a single game in that span. Miller didn’t even hit the 180-reception mark until his fifth season in 2009.
Considering all of the above, how do you like Freiermuth’s chances when it comes to a third consecutive season of 60 or more catches in 2023? Will he join those other 11 tight ends that I mentioned in this post?
