The 33rd Team dropped its preview of the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers with NFL TV analyst Charles Davis breaking down both the offensive and defensive sides of the football prior to the start of the regular season. When it came down to choosing his breakout player on the roster, Davis decided to go down a different path than most analysts who have chosen QB Kenny Pickett or WR George Pickens. Davis instead went with TE Pat Freiermuth, stating that the third-year player has been productive in his first two seasons but has more of a ceiling that hasn’t yet been tapped.
“Freiermuth has the ability to shred defenses down the middle of the field but also run routes to the outside of the field, catch the football, turn upfield and make bigger plays,” Davis wrote. “His targets are going to go up, and his catches are going to go up. At the end of the year, we might be discussing whether Freiermuth is an All-Pro or Pro Bowl player.”
Freiermuth has solidified himself as Pittsburgh’s franchise tight end in just two seasons, posting 123 receptions for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns over 2021 and 2022 combined. He had seven touchdown receptions as a rookie, and while the touchdowns fell to two as a sophomore, he saw his targets, yards, and yards per reception all increase as he became more involved in the offense.
Freiermuth is one of the better receiving tight ends in the game, having the route running prowess to win over the middle of the field as well as the size and athleticism to win down the seam as well as in the red zone. We saw his ability to create after the catch last season against the Falcons, catching a pass near the sideline and managing to break multiple tackles on his way to the red zone.
While the talent is there for Freiermuth to break into the top-tier tight end in the league, the question comes down to opportunity. The Steelers have numerous passing-game threats, including WRs Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson II and Calvin Austin III, and fellow TEs Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward. The Steelers also want to be more balanced as an offense and support QB Kenny Pickett with a strong running game, bringing into question exactly how many targets are going to be available for Freiermuth.
Still, Freiermuth is set up to have a great 2023 campaign, even if the final stat line isn’t in line with some of the best tight ends in football like Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews. If Pickett does take a notable step forward this season, expect Freiermuth to take a step forward as well as a reliable receiving threat who has the capability to make some splash plays.
