The Pittsburgh Steelers offense finally has some hope after years of disappointment. Not only have they finally reloaded their offensive line, but they’ve hired an offensive coordinator who’s proven that he can succeed in the NFL. Arthur Smith may have struggled as a head coach, but his time as an offensive coordinator was superb. If he can help the Steelers’ offense be average at the very least, then the hire will be a home run.
The Steelers have the talent on offense to succeed and multiple players should improve in Smith’s system. Who will see the greatest jump in production though? Appearing on ESPN BET Live, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes stated that she believes tight end Pat Freiermuth will be the greatest beneficiary of Smith being in Pittsburgh.
“I think the tight end Pat Freiermuth could really benefit from the arrival of Arthur Smith because, contrary to what you saw in Atlanta at times, he really does love using tight ends,” Kimes said. “You saw that in Tennessee. This is going to be a very play-action heavy offense. I expect Freiermuth to be on the field a lot. He’s a very good blocker, and I expect him to get opportunities in the pass game off of that, hopefully with better quarterback play, particularly over the middle of the field.”
Kimes hits the nail on the head with her analysis of Smith’s love of tight ends. During his time as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, tight ends Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser both had some of their best statistical seasons. Those players, along with fellow Titans tight end MyCole Pruitt, also ended up with the Atlanta Falcons at some point while Smith was the head coach there.
Smith and Pruitt had above-average usage by their standards in Atlanta as well, but one of the biggest critiques of Smith was that he didn’t properly utilize Kyle Pitts, a tight end the Falcons drafted fourth overall in 2021. In his rookie season, Pitts did have over 1,000 yards, but his production dropped off significantly in the following seasons. Nothing about Smith’s tenure with the Falcons seemed to go right though, so perhaps becoming an offensive coordinator again will help him maximize the usage of the Steelers’ tight ends.
The Steelers certainly have talent at that position. Freiermuth hasn’t truly broken out yet, and he’s struggled with injuries, but he’s flashed moments of brilliance when given opportunities. Last year against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had over 100 yards. In 2022, he had over 700 yards on the season, and in his lone season with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback in 2021, he had seven touchdowns. The potential is there if he is utilized correctly.
Freiermuth seems excited about playing in Smith’s offense, which is a good sign. Although most people wouldn’t label him as a very good blocker like Kimes does, he does put forth a ton of effort. Just as well, the Steelers have Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward right behind him. Washington is a freak of nature with incredible size. While he’s mainly a blocking tight end now, he could improve as a receiver under Smith. Heyward is more of a Swiss-army knife, being good at multiple things rather than great at one thing.
Overall, the Steelers’ tight end group should see a significant jump in production this year with Smith in charge of the offense, as long as the quarterback play isn’t dreadful. Throwing over the middle of the field isn’t a strength of Russell Wilson, but maybe that changes under Smith. Either way, the talent is there at tight end for the Steelers, and one of those three players should have, at bare minimum, a decent season, especially with the lack of other receiving options on the team.
