If NFL players were stocks, it would be wise to buy as much stock in Pittsburgh Steelers fourth-year tight end Pat Freiermuth as possible.
Entering his fourth NFL season coming off a rather disappointing 2023 season, Freiermuth finds himself in a fantastic situation in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme along with a pair of new quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Coming out of Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp, Freiermuth is the “best he’s looked” through his first four years, according to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, and appears poised for a massive 2024 season.
“Nobody performed better and more consistently for four weeks than Freiermuth,” Kaboly writes while naming him the Steelers’ biggest winner of the offseason. “He had an instant connection with Russell Wilson and came across as a potential playmaker in Arthur Smith’s tight-end-heavy offense.
“Freiermuth might not have dropped a pass all month, and he’s talented enough to take a short pass and turn it into something big. Entering his fourth season, it’s the best he has looked.”
Though it was football in shorts during OTAs and minicamp, it is quite exciting to hear that Freiermuth is not only establishing chemistry with locker neighbor Russell Wilson, but is also settling in well to Smith’s scheme, taking advantage of what could be a system that highlights his best strengths as a receiving weapon.
It is well known that Smith, throughout his tenure as an offensive coordinator in Tennessee and a head coach in Atlanta, loves to utilize the tight ends in the passing game. That should have Freiermuth salivating at the opportunity to put a tough 2023 season behind him and get back to being a top 8-10 tight end in the NFL.
Opportunities will undoubtedly be there for Freiermuth under Smith.
Based on the TE usage study from Jeremy Pike for Steelers Depot, TEs saw a target share of between 26% and 34% in Atlanta under Smith. Last season alone, tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith both had 50-plus receptions and more 580 yards, finding the end zone three times each as well.
With questions about a WR2 in Pittsburgh, Freiermuth could be the piece that emerges in the passing game for the Steelers, taking some attention away from George Pickens in the process, freeing him up to make more plays on the perimeter.
We’ll see how Freiermuth looks once the pads come on in training camp and in the preseason. But it’s hard to deny the excitement and anticipation around the Penn State product’s potential role and production in Smith’s offense for the Black and Gold.
