Analyzing The Steelers Tight End Room Heading Into The 2023 Season
Former Penn State Nittany Lion Pat Freiermuth has been heralded as the new Heath Miller since the day the Pittsburgh Steelers picked him 55th overall in the 2021 Draft. Freiermuth almost immediately outshined Eric Ebron, positioning himself as a mainstay on the Steelers offense. One of Big Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite targets is now turning into one of Kenny Pickett’s most trusted guys.
Let's take a look at the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end room heading into the 2023 season.
Pat Freiermuth
In his first two seasons in the NFL, Freiermuth has proved the future is bright for him. He’s appeared in 32 games for the Steelers and has amassed 123 receptions for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns. Freiermuth averages 10 yards per reception and a 69.5% catch percentage. Last season, Freiermuth saw his touchdown number take a step back from his rookie year, only finding the end zone twice.
Last season, Freiermuth even broke out for the Steelers longest offensive play of the season with his 57-yard play against the Falcons where he was so close to finding the end zone to cap it off. He’s converted 71 first downs for the Steelers in his two seasons here and as the great Jersey Jerry once told Kenny Pickett, “Pat is ALWAYS open.”
Freiermuth has some soldiers with him in the tight end room.
Zach Gentry
One of Freiermuth’s best friends and co-host of “Grillin & Chillin”, Zach Gentry now enters year five with the Steelers in hopes to carve out more of a role for himself. Gentry is a mountain of a man, standing at six foot eight and 265 pounds. While Gentry has yet to find the endzone in his NFL career, he’s proven to be a sure-handed target when Freiermuth needs a breather.
Gentry is the oldest guy in the tight-end room with his four years of experience and hopes to provide some guidance for all the young guys this year. In his four seasons, Gentry has gathered 39 receptions on 49 targets for 303 yards with a 79.6% catch rate. He usually finds himself on the field in blocking situations but would love to carve out more of a role for himself in the receiving game. Having his goofy presence around the locker room is good for the team as well. Tight ends are like goalies, they’re almost always quirky.
Connor Heyward
Maybe the most underrated guy on the whole roster, the younger brother of Cam Heyward is an absolute weapon. Connor Heyward didn’t get much burn in his rookie year, to no fault of his own. When he did find a way on the field, Heyward gathered 151 yards on 12 receptions for one touchdown on just 15% of offensive snaps spent on the field. That one touchdown? Heyward scored it against the Falcons in Atlanta, just half an hour from where he went to high school and grew up. The same place he and his brothers grew up.
Steelers Secret Weapon?
This offseason, the Steelers used the draft to bolster the roster in many ways. One of those additions was Georgia tight end Darnell Washington. General manager Omar Khan couldn’t resist himself when he saw Washington slide the whole way to the 93rd pick, so who can blame him?
Washington has all the tools to be an absolute stud at the NFL level. He’s six foot seven and 270 pounds and even proclaims himself as the “Sixth Lineman”. He takes pride in the blocking aspect of his game, something not all tight ends love to do. He also runs a 4.6-second 40-yard dash and can be explosive in the receiving game just as much as in the run game.
Washington was named to Second Team All-SEC last season at Georgia where he grabbed 28 passes for 454 yards and two touchdowns. Many teams were concerned about his knee which caused the fall in the draft, but when you find a monster like this, it’s a chance worth taking. Teams were leery of DK Metcalf for the same reason, now he’s an elite receiver in Seattle.
Too Many Mouths To Feed?
While it will be hard for the Steelers to keep all four guys heavily involved throughout the season, we know we will see Freiermuth be the featured tight end most of the time. But adding these guys gives Pittsburgh a nice range of depth, having guys of all shapes, sizes, and skill sets at the tight-end position. It should be fun to see how the Steelers make it happen. It will certainly be a position group to keep an eye on at training camp in Latrobe.
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