It is still super early in the offseason and it is still football in shorts, but one thing has been quite clear so far for the Pittsburgh Steelers under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith: tight end Pat Freiermuth is going to be a significant piece for the Steelers in 2024.
At least, that’s the observation that The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly had Friday morning coming out of Organized Team Activities for the Steelers, with mandatory minicamp slated for next week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side.
In a piece for The Athletic highlighting 12 observations from OTAs, Kaboly spoke glowingly about Freiermuth and his role in Smith’s offense.
“Based on football in shorts, the Steelers might give Pat Freiermuth a contract extension tomorrow,” Kaboly writes, according to nytimes.com. “It has been well-documented how Smith likes to use tight ends in his offense, and that was evident at OTAs. Freiermuth was not only targeted often, but he looked like a legitimate playmaker in this offense.”
The Steelers won’t be giving Freiermuth a contract extension tomorrow, but there is a very good chance he gets one this summer ahead of training camp, which could lead right into a huge 2024 season under Smith’s play calling offensively.
It’s quite clear that Smith loves to utilize the tight ends in the passing game, which 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 once again.
You never want to read too much into football in shorts, especially in late May and early June, but based on Kaboly’s observations, those beliefs that Smith will continue to utilize the tight end heavily are seemingly being backed up based on Freiermuth’s usage.
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.
We’ll see once the team gets to training camp just how much Freiermuth’s usage will be in the passing game, and if that can translate into preseason action. But it is understandable to be excited about what could be ahead this season for the Penn State product, who certainly needs a bounce-back season, and will be relied upon to take some of the onus off of wide receiver George Pickens in the passing game.
Opportunity will be knocking for Freiermuth. It’ll be up to him to answer it.
