The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the top tier NFL franchises and have historically had many well-known names along with tons of hall of famers, but one position that the Steelers seem to lack superstars in is the TE position.
Steelers history at TE
Is Pat Freimuth the greatest Steelers TE of all time, no but according to an article at Ranker.com, Pat Freimuth is already fourth on the list in only three years Pat is behind Heath Miller along with Eric Green, and Bennie Cunningham. I think if you ask any Pittsburgh fan, they will agree that Heath Miller is the best Steelers tight end of all time, as his and Ben Rothlisberger’s connection was one of the best of all time.
Pat Freimuth
During his rookie season the Penn State TE hauled in 60 catches, for almost 500 yards and seven touchdowns, and look to be a key piece in the steelers offense. In 2022 Pat Freimuth had a great connection with Kenny Picket and had over 700 yards. Unfortunately, in 2023 Freimuth racked up 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Pat missed five games with a lingering hamstring injury, which had a large contribution to his low stats.
When Pat was on the field in 2023 something seemed off, maybe it was the injury, but he did not look the same as he did in years before. Another reason for this could have been due to the offensive scheme, but with the offense the steelers had there was slots of short throws where it seemed like the TE would get a lot of usage. The Steelers also tried to run the ball a lot and used rookie Darnell Washington as extra offensive lineman, along with Connor Heyward who was used in more of a fullback role.
What’s Next?
With a new offensive scheme coming to the Steelers with the addition of Arthur Smith along with Russel Wilson, questions have arisen on how Pat Freimuth will be used for the Steelers in 2024, and hopefully they can find a way to use his strengths and get him the ball.
There have also been rumors swirling around Freimuth’s name that he could possibly be traded next season. Once again with the addition of Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward there is a chance the steeler would want to move on from Freimuth. Personally, I don’t see a world where the Steelers trade Pat Freimuth, now there is a good chance they don’t resign him once his rookie contract expires. Hopefully the Steelers find a way to use Freimuth in a way that he is able to get open and make easy catches, maybe in Dallas Goedert sort of role.
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