With mandatory minicamp now out of the way, the coaching staff and players have a six-week break before they report to Saint Vincent College for training camp in late July. Offseason training activities and minicamp served as the foundation for what will become roster battles at camp. The Steelers are able to carry 90 players on the roster during the offseason — they are allowed 91 this year due to an exemption for OLB Julius Welschof — but at the conclusion of training camp and the preseason, that will be trimmed down to just 53 players. One of the more intriguing position battles to watch for the Steelers will be at tight end.
“Tight end is so hard for me to predict right now,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo said while appearing on 93.7 The Fan’s The Starkey Show on Friday. “You got [Pat] Freiermuth, you got Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, Rodney Williams, and they brought in [MyCole] Pruitt, who was with Smith in Atlanta. That’s five guys right there. Are you gonna keep even four of those guys…so that’s gonna be hard for them on cutdown day.”
One of the primary reasons for the intrigue is the introduction of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and what influences his system might have on how the Steelers construct their roster. Over the last two seasons, the Steelers have only kept three tight ends on their initial 53-man roster. If you look at the Atlanta Falcons over the last two years under Smith, they have kept four tight ends. His offenses have traditionally been tight end friendly, and it doesn’t appear that will change in Pittsburgh. He has reportedly been spending a lot of time with the tight ends in drills and in the classroom.
There should be a healthy dose of 12 and 13 personnel, which likely means the Steelers hold one extra spot for tight ends over what they normally do. Otherwise, you risk one injury eliminating an entire package of plays from your offensive playbook in 13 personnel.
When you start to do the math, Freiermuth is an obvious lock and Washington feels pretty safe because of his role as a blocker and being in just his second season. That leaves one or two spots for Pruitt, Heyward, and Williams. It might come down to who can wear the most hats both on offense and on special teams. Heyward is listed as a TE/FB on the team website and is a solid special teamer, so it seems likely his spot is safe as well.
“I’ll tell you one thing. You better play special teams,” Fittipaldo said. “Special teams are gonna be a big factor in that, and luckily for Heyward he’s a good special teams player.”
He played 65% of the team’s special teams snaps in 2022 and 55 in 2023. He played on all four coverage and return units and has eight special teams tackles to his name over two seasons. He is also the best candidate on the roster to fill the role of fullback, which Smith has historically used.
So if those are the top three, like last year, who do they keep between Pruitt and Williams? Pruitt has the benefit of having played for Smith with both the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. He has eight touchdowns in their four seasons together on 36 total receptions for 399 yards. He has been a decent blocker over those four seasons, but 2023 was his worst season in that area with a 46.3 blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. As for special teams, he has really only been a part of kick return units, playing roughly 25% of his teams’ special teams snaps the last few seasons.
Williams was an undrafted free agent in 2022 and ended up with the Steelers after a brief stint on the Denver Broncos’ roster. He has stuck with the Steelers ever since on the practice squad and offseason rosters, and he spent time on the active roster last season while Freiermuth was out injured. He played 56% of the team’s special teams snaps in the 13 games he was active last season on all four of the coverage and return units.
If the Steelers carry four tight ends, they will likely need that final spot to go to someone who can be a core special teamer. Williams fits that profile better than Pruitt, but Pruitt has more experience operating on offense and specifically on Smith’s offense, which could be the deciding factor. With Pruitt at 32 years old, a tie in the competition will likely go to Williams, so that is the way I am leaning for now if the Steelers carry four tight ends on their 53-man roster.
