The Pittsburgh Steelers may not have a set-in-stone traditional wide receiver No. 2 at the moment. But what the offense does have is a lot of playmakers at the tight end position. Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith are the headliners, of course. Neither of them played in the first game of the preseason and won’t play in the second.
But Steelers fans should expect to see both of them get a lot of playing time during the regular season. That could be true even in situations you’re not normally used to seeing two tight ends on the field at the same time.
“When I visited Steelers camp and talked to people over there over the last few weeks, it is obvious they are going to use Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith a ton,” insider Jeremy Fowler said Friday on NFL Live. “One player told me, ‘Hey, we might even be 3rd and 8, 3rd and 10, and we’ll roll out 12 personnel.’ That’s how comfortable Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith have become with those tight ends.”
That was a big question after the Steelers acquired Smith from the Dolphins in the Minkah Fitzpatrick-Jalen Ramsey trade. How would he fit into an offense and a tight end room that already had Freiermuth and a young Darnell Washington? Evidently, quite well.
Heck, the Steelers have even utilized Jonnu Smith out of the backfield in camp, a throwback to his days in Tennessee with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. They want to get Jonnu Smith involved in the offense whether as a receiver or even someone who surprises defenses by carrying the ball.
The Steelers love Pat Freiermuth, too. They signed Freiermuth to a four-year contract extension prior to the start of last offseason. So, they don’t intend on keeping him on the bench. And Jonnu Smith is looking forward to working alongside Freiermuth, sharing tips from his perspective and learning from Freiermuth, as well.
The Steelers want to use both tight ends at the same time, to no one’s surprise. But using 12 personnel in obvious passing downs? Most teams would roll out at least three wide receivers in those spots. However, both Freiermuth and Smith are weapons in the passing game. They can beat linebackers with speed or bully smaller defensive backs. That can help put defenses in bad spots, even if the Steelers are behind the sticks.
So, it makes sense that the Steelers could roll out two tight ends, even in 3rd and long. As Fowler put in his training camp notes earlier in August, “Smith is mostly a receiver in functionality, anyway.”
If Darnell Washington’s training camp and preseason performance has anything to do with it, maybe we will see even more three tight end personnel groupings.
