Zach Gentry wasn’t the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most significant pending free agent this spring.
But he was their biggest. And now, he’s coming back.
A 6-foot-8 tight end who is the tallest player on the roster, Gentry and the Steelers have agreed on a contract to keep him in Pittsburgh, the NFL Network reported Saturday. Terms were not immediately available.
Gentry served as the Steelers’ No. 2 tight end as a complement to Pat Freiermuth last season. Gentry started 13 of 17 games and played 50% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, often in a blocking role. He has had 19 catches each of the past two seasons, totaling 303 yards in that time.
In 2022, Gentry caught 19 of 23 targets for 132 yards — 32 of those coming on one reception in the season opener in Cincinnati that accounted for the third-longest reception by a Steelers tight end in 2022.
Converted to tight end in college after being recruited to Michigan as a highly-recruited quarterback, Gentry was a fifth-round pick in 2019. As be continued to develop into the position, he appeared in only six games his first two NFL seasons before playing all 35 of the Steelers’ games (including playoffs) in 2021-22.
Interestingly, Gentry caught both the final NFL completion ever thrown by now-retired Ben Roethlisberger and the first NFL pass ever completed by Kenny Pickett.
“I have so much love for this organization and the people who are here,” Zach Gentry said soon after the #Steelers’ season ended last month, “so (free agency) is going to be quite the process, quite the journey.”@C_AdamskiTribhttps://t.co/eRTf9qUaFN
— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) February 3, 2023
With Freiermuth a potential Pro Bowler heading the position, Gentry and Connor Heyward appear to make for what is a solid Steelers tight end corps. Another convert to tight end while in college, Heyward toward the end of his rookie season last year developed into a pass-catching threat and could be poised for a significant role in the 2023 offense.
It should be noted that Pro Football Focus’ subjective grading ranked Gentry dead last among the 53 NFL tight ends who were targeted at least 23 times last season.
Counting two other re-signings of their own players, the Steelers have now agreed to sign nine free agents since the new league year opened March 15. Among those who played for the Steelers in 2022 who remain unsigned are backup quarterback Mason Rudolph, defensive linemen Chris Wormley and Tyson Alualu, special-teamer/running back Benny Snell, special-teamer/fullback Derek Watt, special-teamer/wide receiver Miles Boykin and special-teamer Marcus Allen.
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