Coming off a rather down 2023 season that was marred by injury and improper usage within the offensive scheme, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth’s stock has seemingly plummeted within the NFL.
Mostly a pass-catching tight end with very little benefit as a blocker, Freiermuth appeared poised for a big 2023 season, but struggles under center early on in the season from Kenny Pickett, along with the lack of usage in the middle of the field and then a hamstring injury put a damper on Freiermuth’s season.
The Penn State product tried to return in Week 5 from the hamstring injury, but he re-aggravated it, landing on Injured Reserve before eventually returning in Week 11 on the road against the Cleveland Browns.
On the year, Freiermuth finished with just 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns, a far cry from the 63 receptions for 732 yards and two touchdowns he put up in 2022.
Those struggles on the field and due to injury caused Freiermuth to drop in the overall TE rankings from Pro Football Focus Wednesday morning. He landed at No. 15, behind the likes of Dallas’ Jake Ferguson, Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid and Las Vegas rookie Brock Bowers.
“After producing well as a rookie and taking it up a notch in 2022, Freiermuth battled through injuries in 2023, and his play took a dip as a result,” PFF’s John Kosko writes regarding Freiermuth’s ranking at the position. “With better quarterback play in 2024 and a healthy season, Freiermuth should bounce back as a solid weapon over the middle of the field.”
That last sentence from Kosko is the key for Freiermuth.
If he stays healthy in 2024, he should have a huge season, which could come in a contract year if the Steelers and the veteran tight end aren’t able to agree on an extension before the start of the season.
With Arthur Smith now in Pittsburgh as the offensive coordinator, the tight end will have a key role in the offense once again, both over the middle of the field and in general. The tight end simply wasn’t used properly with Matt Canada in charge of the offense, and that was never more evident than in the lack of targets in the middle of the field.
Once Canada was fired prior to the Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Freiermuth had his breakout game, hauling in nine passes for 120 yards in the road win over the Bengals. After that though, he was quiet, never having more than three receptions or 44 yards down the stretch, though he did have five receptions for 76 yards in the Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Along with Smith calling the shots offensively, Freiermuth also has some upgrades at quarterback in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, both of whom like to utilize the tight end. If Freiermuth is able to stay healthy, he should be able to easily get back into the 60-plus receptions area, reminding many of how effective a weapon he is in the passing game.
