The tight ends are the lifeblood of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense, so say his tight ends, such as Pat Freiermuth and MyCole Pruitt. They have certainly stockpiled at the position as they move into the 2024 season. So far during OTAs, the group is noticing one very obvious trend: the offense goes as they go.
“They are moving us all around, and we’ve been heavily dependent on tight ends and where we line up”, Freiermuth said about how the Steelers are using the tight ends under Smith, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Smith is known for using heavy personnel packages, which he expects to bring to the Steelers’ offense. While he inherits Freiermuth and second-year Darnell Washington, he brought Pruitt along with him. He knows better than anybody what Smith likes to do with tight ends, having played under him in three cities.
“It’s a role that has a lot of variety in it”, he said in explaining Smith’s tight-end usage. “We can be lined up anywhere on the field to try to exploit any mismatches we can get out of the defense. We use a lot of tight end personnel, from 11, 12, 13”.
On the whole, the Steelers have been heavier with 11 personnel over the past decade. That’s largely thanks to having Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, but the focus has gradually shifted since his retirement. Bringing in Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator should prove the most dramatic departure in the shape of the offense since.
Last week, Connor Heyward observed that “everybody’s role has changed” in the Steelers’ offense. Smith expects everybody to be willing to do whatever they are capable of doing, which for Heyward includes fullback. Everybody needs to block, but they better be ready to line up outside, too.
“He’s putting us all over the field”, Freiermuth observed. The purpose is, as Pruitt said, to maximize opportunities to exploit defensive mismatches. The more versatile your tight ends are, the less likely the defense can quickly counter.
Right now, the Steelers have five tight ends with a shot at making the roster. In addition to Freiermuth, Washington, Heyward, and Pruitt, they also have Rodney Williams. Primarily a special teams contributor, Williams did contribute offensively as well and is a willing blocker. Smith might find it difficult to get all of his tight ends on the 53-man roster, granted, but I’m sure he’ll try.
He has to convince head coach Mike Tomlin that he needs all of them to do different things for the Steelers. Of course, Danny Smith needs to find use for some of them as well. Heyward and Williams are already special teamers, though, so that’s not too big of an ask. Pruitt may want to brush up on such activities, however, and perhaps the new kickoff rules make it easier. Maybe he can even be the new kicker.
Of course, you can’t just load the field with tight ends and start winning. But Smith’s tight ends believe he knows how to deploy them to success for the Steelers. “Obviously, a lot of teams have the same formations, but we have a lot of complex ways to get into it”, Freiermuth said. “Motions, shifts, ways to confuse the defense. We’re always on a rhythm and timing. It keeps the defense honest”.
