The Steelers had one of the youngest offenses in the NFL in 2023, which led to some major concerns about leadership and maturity on that side of the football throughout the season.
There were plenty of issues with attitude and effort, which reared their ugly head at very inopportune times.
While there are still questions about leadership offensively, running back Najee Harris emerged down the stretch as a key leader for the Steelers on that side of the ball as did quarterback Mason Rudolph.
From the vantage point of head coach Mike Tomlin, so, too, did tight end Pat Freiermuth.
“I was really impressed by [Pat] Freiermuth down the stretch, for example,” Tomlin said when asked during his season-ending press conference what players stood out to him offensively from a leadership standpoint.
Freiermuth had a tough season in 2023, dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss quite a bit of time. He also sustained an ankle injury in the Wild-Card loss to the Buffalo Bills that hindered him late.
When on the field, he struggled to produce at the level many became used to during his time in the Black and Gold. Freiermuth had just 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns. His one breakout game came in the week after the firing of former offensive coordinator Matt Canada as Freiermuth went off for nine receptions for 120 yards in a 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 12.
Outside of that showing though Freiermuth was kept quiet. He had just one other game with over three receptions, and that was in the Wild-Card loss in which he had five catches for 76 yards. He also struggled as a blocker throughout the season, leading to colorful criticism from former Steelers running back Merril Hoge.
After that criticism, Freiermuth responded and played well as a blocker down the stretch. That criticism also must have woken him up as a leader because he took on more responsibility and found his voice late in the year, which impressed Tomlin.
Despite the young group offensively, Tomlin saw some guys emerge as leaders, which has him excited about the future on that side of the football.
“Yes, but not that I am shocked by that,” Tomlin said regarding offensive players progressing as leaders. “I think the journey oftentimes provides opportunity for growth to develop, to rise within the ranks in a lot of ways, whether it’s in terms of divisional labor and roles or leadership and certainly some of that transpired.”
It’s good that the development aspect from a leadership transpired offensively. It’s a young group, no doubt. That group had plenty of trials and tribulations in 2023, from in-game frustrations on the sidelines and irritation with the play calling and offensive scheme to questions about the offense’s leadership in the locker room and more.
But adversity reveals character, and it seems like the Steelers now know who the leaders are on offense moving forward. Freiermuth is included in that, at least from Tomlin’s perspective. That’s encouraging.
