You can’t fault tight end Pat Freiermuth for his statistical dip in 2023. The Pittsburgh Steelers passing game hit rock bottom for a long stretch and he was just one of the unfortunate victims. As he heads into the final year of his rookie contract, this along with the addition of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith could force him to play out his current deal and see what happens.
Freiermuth set career highs in receptions 963) and receiving yards (732) in 2022 but couldn’t approach either number last season. With Connor Heyward, Darnell Washington and Rodney Williams on the roster, there should be some strong competition to see which tight ends can flourish in Smith’s offense.
Smith has highlighted the tight end in previous seasons with players like Jonnu Smith and Kyle Pitts. Smith might want to use the 2024 season to evaluate best fits and this would leave Freiermuth playing for a contract. There’s no doubt Freiermuth is the best tight end on the roster and we expect him to have a breakout campaign is Pittsburgh can get the quarterback position on track.
