Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington were supposed to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a dynamic tight-end tandem. Washington, after all, was a “steal” as a third-round pick because of medical concerns, never mind his unproductive college numbers. Heading into the 2024 season, however, many seem to be souring on the Steelers’ tight-end room.
At least, they see it as potentially Pat Freiermuth and a bunch of also-rans, with even Freiermuth having much to prove going into a contract year. Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette still believes the Steelers will sign him to an extension. And that’s partly because of how he views the rest of the room.
“I think he’s gonna be pretty integral to what they’re trying to do on offense in Arthur Smith’s system”, he said of Pat Freiermuth on 93.7 The Fan this past week. “They do have a couple nice tight ends behind him in Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward, but I think they’re both complementary pieces. I don’t think either one would really be able to fall into a No. 1 role. Not Washington at this point in his career. Maybe he could reach that level down the line at some point, but that just goes to show how much value Freiermuth does have for this team”.
A second-round pick in 2021, Pat Freiermuth is coming off a down season marred by injury. He caught just 38 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns, which came early in the year. After missing a chunk of time due to injury, he had one big game and that was basically it.
It’s still unclear why the Steelers didn’t target Freiermuth more last year. He didn’t even see four targets per game, which is stunningly low. For perspective, during his first two seasons, he averaged nearly four receptions per game. He drew more than six targets per game in 2022, so his usage rate really plummeted.
But the thing is, if Freiermuth doesn’t step up in the passing game, who is going to—especially now? The Steelers have a low-end wide receiver room, and Freiermuth may be their second target. Can Darnell Washington or Connor Heyward play a bigger, more instrumental role? Or are they simply complementary pieces who show up when they’re needed and then depart for the sideline?
As a rookie, Washington saw 10 targets all year despite playing in every game, catching 7 passes for 61 yards. Heyward last season only gained 167 yards on 23 catches with a success rate under 50 percent. And don’t look toward Rodney Williams or MyCole Pruitt for the Steelers’ savior.
Of course, the tight end position involves much more than just catching passes. But if you’re just a blocking tight end, can you call yourself anything more than a “complementary piece” in 2024? Even the heaviest running teams don’t put their blocking tight ends on the field that much.
