In the first year under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, tight end Pat Freiermuth was expected to have a huge breakout for the Pittsburgh Steelers as that game-changing pass-catching weapon.
The Steelers were banking on that, too, signing Freiermuth to a four-year, $48.4 million extension right before the start of the season.
So far, though, the tight end’s production has been limited. That’s not a surprise, though, as the rest of the offense’s passing game performance has also been limited.
Freiermuth has eight receptions for 66 yards through the first two games of the season, including a four-reception, 27-yard performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 and a four-reception, 39-yard performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
Those aren’t exactly the types of performances many were expecting coming into the year, but for Steelers’ insider Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who appeared on the 93.7 The Fan Joe Show with host Joe Starkey Friday, that breakout for Freiermuth is coming, and coming soon.
“Yeah, I think that time’s coming, Joe. If you really look at the targets, he’s the second-leading target on this team behind George Pickens. Eventually, the big plays are gonna come,” Fittipaldo said of Freiermuth and a potential breakout coming soon, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “They’ll find ways to get him the ball in space, and he’ll get yards after the catch. He’s shown he could do that in the past, and I have no doubt that that will continue here in the future. And Joe, they need it from him. Van Jefferson has played a bunch of snaps, has contributed almost next to nothing. Calvin Austin has played fewer snaps, and his production is way down there, too, so yeah.
“Number one, they need Roman Wilson to come back and to be a factor, but number two, Pat Freiermuth has to be a bigger factor, too. And I think that’s coming here in the short term future.”
Early in the season, the Steelers’ passing game has been rather limited with Justin Fields under center, through no fault of Fields’ either.
That’s how Smith has designed things. In Week 1, Smith wanted the Steelers to avoid the middle of the field in the passing game to not let star safety Jessie Bates wreck the game. Then, in Week 2 an emphasis was on taking deep shots against the highly-penalized Broncos’ secondary in an effort to take advantage of the officiating crew, which proved to be flag-happy, too.
In the process, the Steelers have also continued to settle into Smith’s offensive scheme overall. That should allow things to open up even further for the Black and Gold in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, which could lead to Pat Freiermuth’s breakout.
Freiermuth has eight targets on the season, catching every ball thrown his way. Those eight targets are second on the team behind only receiver George Pickens, who has 11 targets. Freiermuth and Pickens are tied for the team lead with eight receptions apiece.
Those eight targets for Freiermuth account for 20% of the passing attempts the Steelers have had on the season. That seems like a solid workload moving forward, even if that might decline some throughout the rest of the season.
That breakout is undoubtedly coming, though, especially in Smith’s TE-friendly scheme.
Week 3 against the Chargers would be a great time for it.
