The Pittsburgh Steelers are most of the way through the first part of the offseason leading to the draft. Before we get there, we’re going to take stock of how the roster has evolved over the past several weeks. Position by position, we’ll break down who’s coming and going and what’s next, for those rookies and those already here.
Position: Tight End
Total Positional Figure: 5
Offseason Additions: 1
Offseason Deletions: 0
Players Retained:
Pat Freiermuth: After a down season both productively and otherwise, Pat Freiermuth is entering a crucial season. Can he be a top-10 receiving tight end? Arthur Smith will help us all find out—and he’ll see if Freiermuth can’t block a little better, as well.
Darnell Washington: Last year’s third-round draft pick, Washington played a good deal as a blocker as a rookie. I would expect more of the same from him; as of this moment, I don’t anticipate a much-expanded receiving role. I’ve been warned off that scent a number of times already, so I’ll be pleasantly surprised to witness otherwise.
Connor Heyward: Now in his third season, Heyward is a mainstay on special teams. He actually logged over 400 snaps on offense last year, but he can be a jack of all trades under Smith. Last year, he caught 23 passes, though he had just one rushing attempt. He aligned all over the place, including as a lead blocker out of the backfield.
Rodney Williams: Williams spent about half of the year on the 53-man roster. Retained for his special teams abilities, the Steelers held onto him even after Freiermuth returned to health from IR. But can he earn a roster spot over an Arthur Smith player?
Players Added:
MyCole Pruitt: The Steelers recently added MyCole Pruitt, who’s played under Arthur Smith in multiple capacities. Smith was his tight ends coach in Tennessee before being his offensive coordinator. For the past two years, Pruitt played under Smith as the Falcons’ head coach. But he’s still largely a marginal player who is not guaranteed a roster spot.
Players Deleted: N/A
Notes And Draft Outlook:
I can’t imagine the Steelers having much of an interest at the position at this point, at least with any serious investments. The only thing I could see them doing is picking up a true fullback at some point. With both Heyward and Pruitt capable of handling some of those assignments, however, it’s not a pressing need.
The Steelers won’t draft anybody here, but they’ll likely sign a college free agent or two. They may also look to add another veteran off the scrap heap with no signing bonus to compete. With Freiermuth and Washington affixed at the top of the depth chart, they’re unlikely to land a Brock Bowers.
Then again, Smith has an affinity for tight ends, and they have a dearth of wide receivers. Still, I think the biggest question is simply how many of their internal options they retain. They’re likely to keep at least four of the names above, but they may even swing all five. Pruitt may have to pick up his special teams game, though. Heyward and Williams already have that covered.
