Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth went down with a hamstring injury in Week 4 of the 2023 season. He missed the next five games and, outside of one game, didn’t play a big role in the passing game thereafter. Being healthy again and with a pro-tight end offensive coordinator play in his favor for 2024. But he has more reasons than that to be optimistic about a strong bounceback season in 2024.
As he told Jason Mackey for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Freiermuth has spent a lot of time in the proverbial lab. He has gone to great lengths trying to figure out his diet and movements to maximize his game. “I missed time last year, and it was unfortunate”, he said. “But it did force me to look at my process and what I can do to stay healthy”.
He talked about discussing muscle inflammation with a dietician who reduced his dairy intake. Mackey also mentioned that Freiermuth is working with a speed coach and a “movement specialist”. The tight end described two weeks in which they worked to break down his body and how it moves, and he sees the results on the field.
“One of the coaches said that I looked faster and smoother in my routes”, Mackey quotes Freiermuth as saying. “Not as choppy as I used to”.
Nobody ever mistook Freiermuth for a modern-day receiving tight end. That’s not the kind of tight end the Steelers look for. They liked him coming out of Penn State because they saw a Heath Miller type in him. He can provide a reliable outlet in the passing game, sure, but he will also throw a block.
Now, blocking hasn’t always been a highlight in Freiermuth’s game, but he has had his moments. One hopes that new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith gets the most out of him in that department. But he also has untapped potential in the passing game as well.
A lot of that has had to do with the quality and nature of the quarterback play in his three seasons. That and the issues with the offensive scheme itself haven’t exactly featured him to the best of his abilities. He showed promise with a 732-yard season in 2022. He also caught seven touchdowns as a rookie working with Ben Roethlisberger.
Pat Freiermuth’s 2023 injury really set him back, however. Outside of his career-best 120-yard game against the Bengals, he largely had a season to forget as a receiver. He finished the season with 32 receptions for just 308 yards and two touchdowns, both from the first three games.
If, indeed, he looks faster and smoother in his routes, then that is exciting for his future. He isn’t going to suddenly look like Travis Kelce, but it will open up more doors for tight-end usage in the passing game. And if he hasn’t already signed a contract extension by then, it would bode well for his financial future.
