Why does Pat Freiermuth have fewer targets from Russell Wilson than Darnell Washington?
In four games with Russell Wilson, Darnell Washington has seen 12 targets to Pat Freiermuth’s 10. Justin Fields started the first six games of the Steelers’ season, and they produced very different numbers. In those six games, Freiermuth drew 25 targets to Washington’s seven.
Now, Darnell Washington has clearly earned more receiving opportunities—but more than Pat Freiermuth? The Steelers can’t possibly feel that way, considering the contract extension they gave him. Russell Wilson is barely throwing to him two times per game, despite averaging just over 30 attempts.
So why is it exactly that Freiermuth is seeing so few targets from Wilson, especially relative to Washington? Well, as far as the last two weeks are concerned, Washington is actually outsnapping Freiermuth. But the difference is largely minimal (they had the same number of snaps last week), and that also wasn’t true of Wilson’s first two starts.
The Steelers don’t exactly design many plays with Darnell Washington as the primary target. That is supposed to be what they want to do with Pat Freiermuth, but we’re not really seeing that. It seems as though every week we’re wondering when he is going to become a bigger part of the passing game. And it’s not Mike Williams and his one target reshaping the landscape, though he is earning snaps.
One thing you can say about Freiermuth is that he has been very efficient. On 36 targets, he has 31 receptions. He also has three touchdowns, more than any season since his rookie year. Darnell Washington is up to 19 targets now, with 12 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown. Between the two, only one of Freiermuth’s touchdowns have come from Russell Wilson.
The premise entering this season was that Pat Freiermuth was the Steelers’ second-best receiving option behind George Pickens, but they are not using him as such. Through 10 games, he is on pace for 53 catches for 502 yards and five touchdowns. And the projections drop even further if you isolate his time with Russell Wilson. He has just nine catches for 101 yards and one touchdown in the past four games.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
