Buy Or Sell: TE Pat Freiermuth will have a breakout season in Arthur Smith’s offense.
Explanation: After putting up anemic receiving numbers partly due to injury in 2023, Pat Freiermuth is in a contract year. His three-year body of work doesn’t merit market-resetting money, so he has motivation. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has a history of productivity at the tight end position as well.
Buy:
Jonnu Smith caught eight touchdown passes for Smith’s offense in Tennessee in 2020. Kyle Pitts caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards in 2021 as a rookie in Atlanta. The two combined for 103 catches for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns in 2023 with the Falcons.
Even when they have a limited passing game, Arthur Smith’s tight ends put up numbers. When he has multiple receiving-capable tight ends, he makes use of them. The Steelers only have one, and that’s Pat Freiermuth.
Freiermuth benefits from Smith as the new offensive coordinator more than anybody. He makes the tight end a focal point of the game plan, something that Matt Canada often seemed to overlook. Only injuries can prevent him from putting up career numbers in 2024.
Sell:
What exactly do you call a breakout season for a tight end, especially in today’s game? Is Freiermuth going to put up 1,000 receiving yards? Is he going to score 10 touchdowns? Might he catch 100 passes? No, I don’t think any of those things happen. I don’t know that he really even comes close.
Freiermuth is simply not a “breakout” type of tight end. He is the quarterback safety net. You’re not going to plan for him as your primary target on a ton of routes the way you do the leading receiving options at the position.
Might he have a very solid season under Smith? Certainly, that’s quite possible He probably doesn’t set any new career highs, though, or if he manages to, just barely so. Opposing defenses are able to take Freiermuth out of the game plan relatively easy when they actually bother to try. If the Steelers begin exploiting him over the middle, opponents will adapt quickly and force the ball outside the numbers, in all probability.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
