Fresh off their bye week and riding high following a thrilling 24-21 win in Dublin, Ireland, over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, things are looking up for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Especially within the run game.
In the win over the Vikings, the Steelers leaned heavily on their jumbo package featuring tight end Darnell Washington and swing offensive lineman Spencer Anderson. The Steelers lined up in the jumbo package 19 times. In fact, seven of the 12 biggest gains the Steelers had on the day came with the jumbo package on the field.
Pittsburgh had a huge day, rushing for 131 yards and controlling the line of scrimmage. It wasn’t all the jumbo package, but it played a key role and should be a factor moving forward.
But with the jumbo package comes less playing time for the likes of highly paid TEs Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. Freiermuth played just 15 snaps against the Vikings, and Smith logged only 13.
Moving forward, those two need to be on the field and have a role offensively. They make far too much money and are way too talented to not be involved. They have to become better blockers and have an impact in the run game.
For the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo though, who appeared on the North Shore Drive podcast Monday morning, he questions if those two can block well enough to allow the Steelers to run out of 12 personnel moving forward.
“To me, the thing that I wanna know, and we haven’t seen it, we did not see it in the first three games, I wanna see if they could just block with their basic personnel,” Fittipaldo said of the two tight ends, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “Can they run block? Can they have a good game like they had against the Vikings without having to go to the jumbo package? Because I do think eventually, Chris, if you’re gonna be a well-rounded offense, yes, two of your better playmakers have to be on the field more often than that.”
Through the first three games of the season, the Steelers did have much success running out of 12 personnel. Though it’s unclear which two TEs have been on the field in those packages, Sumer Sports has the Steelers ranked 27th in EPA (Expected Points Added) out of 12 personnel. That includes a 0.01 EPA/per play running the ball, but just a -0.16 EPA/per play passing.
Not great considering the talent the Steelers have at the position.
Both Freiermuth and Smith need to be better, period. They haven’t had the impact many expected coming into the season. Not only are they not creating much in the passing game, they’re not blocking all that well, either. Smith has a run blocking grade of 50.0 overall from Pro Football Focus, while Freiermuth is better at a 75.9.
The impact just isn’t there, though, and the Steelers saw a weakness against Minnesota and attacked it with different personnel. Now, they’ll face a familiar Browns team with a great defense.
Will they line up in jumbo again and try to bully the Browns? That seems unlikely. But they can still try and run out of 12 personnel with Freiermuth and Smith and take some shots in the passing game with the two. They have to start showing it though.
They’re highly paid for a reason. Time to be those impact tight ends as blockers and pass catchers the Steelers envisioned.
