Steelers A to Z: New acquisition Jonnu Smith to fill more than a tight end role in offense

Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 12 and July 23. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

TE JONNU SMITH

Experience/age: Ninth season, turns 30 in August

Contract status: $4.09 million estimated cap hit, signed through 2026

The past: Smith is coming off the best of his eight NFL seasons. He caught 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns last year in Miami, his first with the Dolphins. He had never caught more than 50 passes in a season before.

That production led Smith to ask for a new contract from the Dolphins, who had given him a two-year, $8.4 million deal in free agency. When a new deal didn’t materialize, he held out of minicamp and found himself on the trading block, joining the Steelers along with star cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

A third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2017, Smith has a long association with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. With the elder Smith serving as Titans offensive coordinator, Jonnu Smith caught eight touchdown passes and had a then-career best 41 catches and 448 receiving yards in 2020.

The two were reunited in Atlanta in 2023 when Jonnu Smith set career highs with 50 catches and 582 yards. That set up his breakthrough year with the Dolphins.

In eight seasons, Smith has caught 307 passes for 3,307 yards and 28 touchdowns.

2025 outlook: When the Steelers acquired Smith, they signed him to a one-year contract worth $12 million, which covers the 2026 season.

Smith joins a team that already has a starting tight end in Pat Freiermuth, a third-year backup in Darnell Washington and a versatile piece in fourth-year player Connor Heyward. At 6-foot-3, 248 pounds, Smith has the physique to play outside at a wide receiver spot or in the backfield as an H-back or fullback.

The plan is for the Steelers to experiment with Smith at various spots in the offense, and he was acquired with the intent of helping fill the void created by the George Pickens trade to Dallas.