Player: TE Izaiah Gathings
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: The Steelers continue to add to the tight end position with the latest signing of Izaiah Gathings. A first-year former college free agent, Gathings spent time on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad in 2023. A converted wide receiver, he will try to make his way in a crowded Steelers tight-end room under Arthur Smith.
It seems the Pittsburgh Steelers want to make sure new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has tight ends. With the signing of first-year Izaiah Gathings, they now have six, though each brings something different to the table.
The signing of Gathings is not going to move the needle much. He has an uphill battle ahead of him to even nab a spot on the practice squad, given the competition. Players like Rodney Williams and MyCole Pruitt may already be the ones in the mix for that battle.
But all any player can ask for is an opportunity, and for players like Gathings, that starts with a contract. Now he has one with the Steelers, and he’ll have a chance to show what he can contribute. At 6-4, 222 pounds, he’s not the conventional tight end—after all, he is a former wide receiver. But perhaps they’re looking for another receiving-capable tight end, an area in which they are somewhat lacking.
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likes to use tight ends, as his reputation suggests. But the Steelers already have tight ends, including last year’s trio of Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Connor Heyward. Add Williams to that mix, who spent most of 2023 on the 53-man roster as well, primarily for special teams.
To that end, I should note that Gathings played all of nine snaps on special teams during the 2023 preseason. If he wants to make this roster, he’s going to have to prove he can excel on those units. He needs to impress special teams coordinator Danny Smith right now, not tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
