Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth ranks 16th in the league at his position with 264 receiving yards on 26 catches. Projected over a full season, he would finish with 55 catches for 561 yards and four touchdowns. That’s not bad, but it’s not great, either. And that’s mostly because the Steelers aren’t targeting him as much. But when they do, he is catching it at an 84-percent rate.
Even though he isn’t getting the volume numbers in the passing game, TE coach Alfredo Roberts sees a new fire in Pat Freiermuth this season. He is playing an all-time high snap count, logging 74 percent of the Steelers’ offensive snaps. And that is because he wants to be a part of everything.
“I was talking about his give-a-crap meter goes up”, Roberts said of Freiermuth yesterday, via the Steelers’ media relations department. “He’s really wanting to answer all of those questions. You’ll see him flexing a lot in practice and in the game. Because he’s been challenged a lot, personally, and then through the positional group. He’s just wanting to make sure he’s here for all phases, not just the passing situations”.
A second-round pick in 2021, Pat Freiermuth quickly became a fan favorite. In the intervening years, some have questioned his effort, particularly in terms of blocking, even his passion for the game. While the Penn State product isn’t a man of many words, he wants to do his talking on tape. And Roberts knows he has a loud voice there when he wants to speak up.
“Just because I’ve seen him do it. He’s put it on tape before, so you just go do it”, Roberts said of why he believes Freiermuth is capable of being a complete tight end. “You just don’t get one-dimensional in your game; you grow your game. You sharpen yourself to do all phases. If you want to be an elite guy, do elite shit. And that’s what he wants to do. Excuse my language”.
It seems one of HC Mike Tomlin’s messages this week has been about getting the most out of yourself. We have heard similar messages from players after the Steelers’ Monday night win. “If you’re an A player, be it”, and things of that nature. The Steelers want Pat Freiermuth to get his A in high gear and play at an elite level.
With all that said, I don’t think I would argue that Freiermuth has been any kind of exceptional in the non-receiving aspects of his job this season. I think perhaps the effort is there more consistently, though he is not Heath Miller or Matt Spaeth. But he is willing to put in the work, chipping in on pass protection on a touchdown on Monday.
The problem is that the Steelers are not a volume passing offense right now. They rank 31st in passing attempts, both overall and per game, and Freiermuth is actually second in most categories. Only George Pickens has more receptions or receiving yards, and he shares the touchdown reception lead with Calvin Austin III.
We are seeing a more driven Pat Freiermuth this year, though, a maturing player who understands his role on the Steelers. He is gradually taking on a greater leadership position, and he is making plays in the passing game. If he isn’t flawless as a blocker, that’s okay—the Steelers have Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt for that.
