With 35 receptions for 354 yards and three touchdowns, Pat Freiermuth has exceeded his 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns from 2023 in one less game this season. Freiermuth suffered a hamstring injury and never really became a key piece of Pittsburgh’s offense last season, but this year, he’s happy with his involvement. In an interview with G.O.A.T Farm Sports during Pittsburgh’s bye week, Freiermuth admitted last year “sucked” while dealing with the injury but credited Arthur Smith for putting him in good situations and building a culture on the offensive side of the ball.
“I only missed five games last year, but I’m almost beating those stats this year. But it’s been cool. It’s been cool to be in this offense with Art. He’s put me in situations to win, obviously we run the ball a bunch. That’s what we’re built off, and I think he’s brought in the right mentality for the receivers, the tight ends to buy into that culture. Understanding that we block and do our assignments, it’s gonna only make it easier for us to get open in the passing game,” Freiermuth said.
Smith’s ability to build an offense around the run game has been beneficial for the Steelers, who have seen Najee Harris have the best season of his career up to this point, and it especially was key earlier this season when Russell Wilson was out with an injury. The Steelers won with a strong run game and offense that prioritized time of possession with Justin Fields under center, and it helped them get off to a 4-2 start.
Despite the offense being built around the ground game, the receiving options seem to have bought in, and they are not concerned with having less opportunity. In particular, Freiermuth is someone who could probably be used more in the offense, but he’s bought into doing anything he needs to help the team win. This season, he’s improved as a blocker, something he gave Smith credit for, and knowing that the run game can help lead to success through the air certainly incentivizes guys to block more and help establish the run game.
Freiermuth is coming off his best game of the season from a yardage perspective, as he had four grabs for 59 yards against the Cleveland Browns. With Pittsburgh losing and being overly reliant on its downfield passing attack, Sunday in Cincinnati could be a game that earns Freiermuth more opportunities if the Steelers look to layer their passing game more and give more opportunities underneath.
He’s still an important piece of the offense, but there’s room for him to have even more opportunities. Still, after coming off a disappointing year last season, Freiermuth seems to be happy with how his year is going and playing under Smith. His development into a leader and more of an all-around tight end has been positive for the offense. We’ll see if he can continue to build off his success in Week 12 and play a bigger role for the Steelers down the stretch.
