The Pittsburgh Steelers are most of the way through the first part of the offseason leading to the draft. Before we get there, we’re going to take stock of how the roster has evolved over the past several weeks. Position by position, we’ll break down who’s coming and going and what’s next, for those rookies and those already here.
Position: Tight End
Total Positional Figure: 4
Offseason Additions: 1
Offseason Deletions: 1
Players Retained:
Pat Freiermuth: In the first season after signing a lucrative contract extension, Pat Freiermuth finally found the end zone in volume again. After catching seven touchdown passes as a rookie, he only had two in each of the following two seasons. In 2024, he caught seven touchdown passes again. Most impressive is that he caught nearly 84 percent of his targets, but there is still meat on the bone. The Steelers targeted him at the lowest rate of his career when adjusting for games shortened by injury.
Darnell Washington: Darnell Washington took a nice step forward last season. He came into his own as a physical blocker, and he expanded his portfolio as a pass catcher. On 25 targets, he caught 19 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. He’ll very rarely be more than the fifth option in a progression, but the Steelers know he has a broader skill set than teams might expect.
Connor Heyward: Entering the final year of his contract, Connor Heyward saw a reduced offensive role in 2024. In fact, he saw just eight targets all season, catching six for 40 yards, though he managed one touchdown. But he still played over 300 snaps on special teams, and that remains his meal ticket.
Players Added:
Donald Parham Jr.: The only addition the Steelers have made at tight end is veteran Donald Parham Jr. Parham is a lanky fellow at 6-8, 237 pounds, and spent the 2024 season on the Broncos’ practice squad. He does have over 1,000 career offensive snaps and 11 touchdowns over four seasons. Even still, he will likely be on the outside looking in, with minimal special teams opportunities.
Players Deleted:
MyCole Pruitt: At least as of this writing, the Steelers have not re-signed Pruitt. It’s hardly an emergency, as no other team is likely to sign him. Pruitt has spent most of his career playing for Arthur Smith, and he helped the Steelers transition into his system. Now that he has served that purpose, at 33, perhaps he can move on to his life’s work. Ten years isn’t a bad career.
Notes And Draft Outlook:
Given that the Steelers haven’t re-signed Pruitt, we can’t rule out the possibility of them drafting a tight end. In order for it to be anywhere earlier than the end of the draft, though, it would have to represent true BPA value.
The Steelers already have Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington as their top two tight ends. They can make do with a hodgepodge cast behind their two starters at the position. They used Heyward more in the past than they did last season, so he could have a bigger role in 2025. And if they don’t draft someone, they could find a street veteran post-draft.
