Plenty of reasons for Steelers to embrace multiple-tight end 'mode' even more in 2022

During the first week of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, I asked head coach Mike Tomlin about tight end Zach Gentry and the prospect of his development leading to the usage of more two-tight end packages.

“We’ve been in that mode,” Tomlin replied.

Looking at the numbers, that appears to be somewhat true. But perhaps it’s time for that “mode” to be accelerated.

For his part, tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts asks, why stop at two?

“I’m the tight ends coach. I want all the guys on the grass,” Roberts joked.

You never know. If you count rookie Connor Heyward as a tight end and not a fullback or H-back, maybe he and Kevin Rader can sneak on the field with Gentry and starter Pat Freiermuth. Roberts may be on to something.

Unfortunately for Roberts, frequent use of four-tight end formations from the Steelers likely is not on the horizon. But, the benefits of getting at least two of his pupils on the field at once would make a lot of sense.

“When you have guys as highly skilled as our receiver group, it’s kind of hard to ask them to take a back seat,” Roberts said. “But then you have guys who have developed in Pat and Zach that give you a chance to run it and throw it. That is also a weapon. It is a fun problem to have because, defensively, you have to find a way to defend it.”

In the strictest sense, Tomlin is right. The Steelers have started to incorporate Gentry and two tight ends more often.

In part, due to Eric Ebron missing much of last year because of injury, Gentry’s snap count did leap to 473 (40% of the Steelers offensive plays) in 2021. He only got 69 combined offensive snaps over his first two years with the club. With Ebron off the roster now, though, and Gentry’s blocking more of an asset to the offense than what Ebron’s was, the Steelers should seek opportunities to expand that multiple-tight end trend even more.

For as much as Gentry’s snap count increased, data from Sharp Football Analysis shows the Steelers ran their offense out of “11 personnel” (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) 75% of the time (924 snaps). Only the two Super Bowl teams (the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals) tracked at a higher percentage. The Steelers ran out of “12 personnel” (one back, two tight ends) 16% of the time. That’s up from 12% in 2020 and only 9% in 2018. (We’ll skip 2019 due to Ben Roethlisberger’s injury, when the Steelers were in two tight ends 20% of the time.)

The “12 personnel” league average was 21% in 2021.

Interestingly, the Steelers did throw out of two tight ends fairly often and effectively when they tried it last year. According to Sharp Football, the run-pass split out of that look was 52%-48%. And the Steelers had a team passer rating of 105.8 with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.

Theoretically, the run blocking should be better for running back Najee Harris in two-tight end packages instead of three wide receivers. Last year didn’t reveal that very much though, as the Steelers averaged 4.1 yards per carry out of “12 personnel” and 3.9 yards per carry out of “11 personnel.”

However, after a year of NFL development, Freiermuth should be better as a blocker in 2022. And Roberts said he thinks that the 6-foot-8, 265-pound Gentry can go from an “efficient” blocker to a “dominant one” this season.

“It was something that I excelled at last year. Hopefully, I can pick up where I left off,” Gentry said of his blocking Thursday. “Once you start playing and putting together games where you are blocking well, it’s better for your confidence.”

On the day the Steelers reported to Saint Vincent College, Freiermuth told me in year two of coordinator Matt Canada’s offense “he’s looking for us to be there a lot more.” Canada wouldn’t fully commit to the theory of employing multiple tight ends more often, but he’s embracing the thought.

“How much more or less, I’m not going to really say that. But we enjoy that deal. We think there are places in the game for it. And if we think it is going to give us the best matchup in a certain week, we are going to do it,” Canada said Monday.

To the point of Roberts’ “14 personnel” idea? Eh, maybe not so much.

But looking for variety in the Steelers offense with more mobile quarterbacks in the mix this year has been a major talking point this offseason. So has been helping Harris avoid taking a beating by getting hit in the backfield so often.

Increasing their “mode” of two-tight end formations a bit more would be an easy and logical place to start.

In Friday’s “Letters from Camp” podcast, Tim Benz takes a look at the Steelers developing plans for the tight end position.

Listen: Tim Benz reports from Steelers training camp