Steelers TE Zach Gentry emerging as legit threat in passing game, strong blocker

Considering the rest of the tight ends corps — including its coach — has turned over in recent years, there is no player on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster who has spent as much cumulative time with Zach Gentry as fellow tight end Kevin Rader.

Each joined the Steelers in 2019. Each has grown as a player, too. But, as Rader attests, few players at any position on the team have had a steeper development curve over the past 3 ½ years than Gentry.

“It’s been cool watching him develop because we have been here the same amount of time, and I am real proud of him with the way he’s been developing,” Rader said. “Especially in the blocking game. And after the catch, he’s basically like an offensive tackle with his size and everything he has.”

Listed as 6-foot-8, 265 pounds, Gentry is a man who stands out and atrracts attention during settings such as training camp. Gentry, at times, has turned heads at Saint Vincent over the first week of this year’s camp.

Friday’s practice, in particular, featured an in-traffic catch on a high pass from Mitch Trubisky that Gentry reached up to nab despite tight coverage from Myles Jack and Terrell Edmunds.

Steelers tight end Zach Gentry pulls in an over the shoulder catch past linebacker Myles Jack during practice Thursday at Saint Vincent College. pic.twitter.com/rEvEdZTw4Z

— Charles Palla (@ChazPalla) July 29, 2022

It was the type of catch that shows how Gentry is evolving into a viable weapon in the passing game in what will be his fourth season with the Steelers. Firmly entrenched as the Steelers’ No. 2 tight end as an ideal complement to Pat Freiermuth, Gentry is a testament to the developmental skills of Steelers coaches and a credit to Gentry himself.

Gentry was heavily recruited out of high school, ultimately signing with Michigan … as a quarterback.

He switched to tight end early in his Wolverines career but still was viewed as raw and something of a “project” when the Steelers took him in the fifth round of the 2019 draft.

“(The transition) was something that was ongoing,” Gentry said. “It was an ongoing process for sure from when I switched over at Michigan, and it’s something that has kept building and building every year. I have gotten more comfortable and more comfortable, and I feel great now.”

The Steelers likewise have to be feeling great that they stuck with Gentry early on, keeping him on the 53-man roster throughout his rookie and second season despite him being buried down the depth chart. Gentry appeared in only six games with one target for one catch in 69 total offensive snaps in 2019-20.

But the Steelers’ patience was rewarded during Gentry’s third season: He played in all 17 of their games, starting 12 and playing 40% of the offensive snaps. Gentry had 19 catches for 167 yards. Pro Football Focus graded him among the top five of all NFL tight ends in pass blocking and in the top half of the league in run blocking.

“Zach is awesome,” said Freiermuth, likely Gentry’s best friend on the team. “He’s been so good to me and so good to the tight end room. His game has only evolved every single time he takes the field.”

#Steelers 2-a-days: Zach Gentry a developmental success story, Nate Gilliam interior OL depth https://t.co/h2I4mMLi7J

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) June 23, 2022

In the first post-Ben Roethlisberger season and with coordinator Matt Canada ready to show his offense in earnest, the tight ends in general — and Gentry in particular — likely will get more chances to shine.

The Steelers lost three of their top five wide receivers from 2021 to free agency, another indication the tight ends will be more involved. During training camp, the Steelers’ first-team offense routinely has featured at least two tight ends on the field for most snaps. And when it does, usually Gentry is on the field.

His transition to the position long complete, Gentry’s production could be poised to explode during what is a contract year for him.

“Last year, every single week you saw him put more stuff on film that he was comfortable and confident in,” Freiermuth said. “And I think going into this year he’s going to be asked to do more in his role, and I think he’s going to excel in it because he worked hard this offseason and you can kind of tell how much it’s paying off.”

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