For the Pittsburgh Steelers and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, there shouldn’t be a ceiling on how often the team employs three tight ends this season. Now boasting an impressive trio of Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Jonnu Smith, analyst Mina Kimes doesn’t want Pittsburgh to shy away from one of its strongest position groups.
“It was the Cardinals at 15.6 [percent], I want the Steelers to top 20,” Kimes said of the team’s 13 personnel usage percentage, citing the league-leading Arizona Cardinals last season. “I want them to break 13 personnel records.”
In a long conversation with Robert Mays on Kimes’ show, the two agreed that Pittsburgh leaning into its strengths is the correct approach. It runs counter to most of the league, based around 11 personnel and three-receiver sets, and is different compared to how the Steelers have built their offenses before Smith. However, Smith’s identity is using big-people personnel while maintaining flexibility in those looks.
Freiermuth spent more snaps last season standing up than having his hand in the ground. Our October charting put him at 51-percent. He ended the year about the same, 51.5-percent (398 of 773 snaps). Smith can align anywhere. And Washington may even be used more creatively after spending most of 2024 as an in-line blocker—a good one, at that.
“I think the three of them work well together, and they do the different things in the offense, and putting them on the field at the same time with a quarterback who’s critically cerebral and good at diagnosing matchups,” Kimes told Mays.
The Steelers didn’t shy away from multiple tight ends last season. They finished second in the NFL in 13 personnel a season ago and 12th in 12 personnel. Combined, multiple tight ends took the field 43 percent of the time. But the success of those packages was mixed, finishing 12th in success rate of 12 personnel and an ugly 21st in 13 personnel.
Still, there’s an incentive to go heavier even more often this year. Smith admitted he couldn’t fully run his offense last year. Now, he has a roster that more closely resembles his ideals, with DK Metcalf at receiver, Kaleb Johnson at running back, Smith at tight end, and a young and athletic offensive line. Game circumstances will dictate personnel usage to a degree, but the heavier Pittsburgh can play, the better off the team will be.
