Don’t expect Pat Freiermuth to count Connor Heyward out in what has turned into a rather crowded Pittsburgh Steelers tight end room. While they have three obvious keepers, they are very likely to keep one more under OC Arthur Smith. Even if we assume a fourth, though, there is rookie JJ Galbreath to consider.
While Freiermuth wasn’t building a roster, he stuck up for Heyward, with whom he has been teammates for three years. The younger brother of Steelers All-Pro Cameron Heyward, he has always faced external scrutiny. On the whole, though, he has done what the team asks him to do.
“Connor’s great, man”, Pat Freiermuth said, speaking to Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller on Movin’ the Chains on SiriusXM NFL Radio, following Friday Night Lights practice. “We’re wicked close. He has a chip on his shoulder and is ready to prove people wrong about how he approaches his business. And he’s been super consistent since Day 1. He’s always getting better. He always is a team-first guy, so it’s been great to be a part of his process and see his growth”.
The Steelers selected Connor Heyward in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, joining Freiermuth and Zach Gentry. Since then, they also added Darnell Washington in the third round in 2023, and recently veteran Jonnu Smith via trade.
Freiermuth, Smith, and Washington are all roster locks, but Heyward or Galbreath should make the team. Heyward is a valued contributor on special teams, where he’s logged 834 snaps over the last three years. During the 2024 season, he played 303 special teams snaps, registering eight tackles and recovering a fumble.
Some beat writers warn that Connor Heyward’s job is not secure, or so they speculate. Really, I think that just depends on whether Galbreath becomes too good to ignore, and even then, the Steelers may still find a way to shove Heyward in there. Perhaps they just call him an H-back; after all, they already list him as TE/FB.
One of the issues Heyward has always endured has been his size. At 6-0, 230 pounds, he isn’t ideally suited to play tight end. To their credit, the Steelers rarely use him as a “traditional” tight end. But under Arthur Smith, they also used him less last season.
Although they are tinkering with 13 and even 04 personnel groupings, I don’t know that we see Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward on the field together for the Steelers very often this season. When you have Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Jonnu Smith, you’re kind of set. It feels rather unlikely your fourth tight end will be better than your top wide receiver in almost any circumstance. Especially when your top wide receiver is the 6-4, 229-pound DK Metcalf.
