TE Pat Freiermuth’s rookie season suggests ‘sky is the limit’ for Steelers

It took a half decade, but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally found themselves a worthy successor to Heath Miller.

And if Pat Freiermuth could establish that much as a young 23-year-old in his rookie NFL season, what can the Steelers expect going forward?

“He’s going to be one of the best tight ends in the league, if not the best, in time,” Steelers rookie tight end Connor Heyward said. “I think he’s a top tight end right now. He’s a great tight end. He can catch, run, block. And he’s just so smooth; his catch radius is crazy.

“I think Pat is an elite tight end.”

As a rookie playing for a team with issues on its offensive line and an aging quarterback on his last legs in 2021, Freiermuth finished fifth among NFL tight ends in touchdowns (seven) and 12th in catches (60). Only three rookie tight ends in NFL history had more touchdowns than Freiermuth did last season.

Among his rookie position class, Freiermuth almost matched the entirety of the league’s rookies in touchdowns (nine) and was second to Kyle Pitts in targets (79), receptions (60), receiving yards (497), yards after the catch (247) and ­first downs gained (34).

The caveat in being runner-up to Pitts is that Pitts not only was the No. 4 overall draft pick (Freiermuth went 55th overall in the second round) but that Pitts, at 240 pounds, could — and perhaps should — be considered more of a wide receiver than a tight end. According to Pro Football Focus, Pitts lined up as a traditional in-line tight end just 32% of his snaps for the Atlanta Falcons last season. Freiermuth did so 69% of the time.

PFF graded Freiermuth as the best pass blocker among qualified tight ends in the NFL last season.

The 6-foot-5, 258-pound Freiermuth wants to be recognized as such as he enters his second NFL training camp later this month.

“Just being an all-around better tight end, I think,” the Penn State product said. “I showed some good things last year, but I just think taking my game to the next level. (Goals include) being consistent in the run (blocking) game, obviously, and pass (protection). ‘Coach T’ (Mike Tomlin) challenges us in a way that pushes you to be a complete player.”

If Pat Freiermuth was fending off complacency down the stretch this past season, imagine how he will perform when fully locked-in and focused. https://t.co/6GWdzBtWJe

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) February 19, 2022

But as much as Freiermuth aspires to be a high-level trusted blocker — and the Steelers want that from him, too — it is as a receiver where he stands out most.

Early on during training camp last year, Freiermuth impressed none other than Ben Roethlisberger, the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Roethlisberger never made any secret of his affinity for Miller, whose 11-year tenure with the Steelers included two Super Bowl rings, so when Big Ben repeatedly compared Freiermuth to Miller, that carried weight.

Roethlisberger pointed out Freiermuth’s hands and catch radius. A standout high school basketball player, Freiermuth’s quick feet, leaping ability and skills in “blocking out” defenders translate into a high catch percentage.

“His potential is, like, wow, the sky is the limit for him,” Steelers tight end Kevin Rader said.

“You saw him last year and the things he could do, and now he’s probably even better with his route running. The way he gets out of breaks and catches the football is phenomenal.”

More stories on Pat Freiermuth:

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• After near-historic rookie season, Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth vows improvement in Year 2
• Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth moves on from failed catch at end of last game

Freiermuth quickly passed veteran Eric Ebron on the Steelers tight ends depth chart last season to become their No. 1 option at the position as a rookie. When the Steelers let Ebron leave via free agency and brought in no additional veterans, it became obvious Freiermuth is the new TE1 with a bullet — even if Heyward was added as a sixth-round pick, and Zach Gentry and Rader have the look of solid Nos. 2 and 3 in complementary roles.

“Coming off the great rookie year he had, he’s even getting better this year,” Gentry said. “You’ve seen him run routes and being more confident knowing the offense.”

By the end of last season, Roethlisberger was leaning on Freiermuth on possession downs or when plays were breaking down much the same way he did on Miller for more than a decade. Freiermuth, though, will have a new starting quarterback to work with this season.

Freiermuth insists he is not content with his game. For example, he referred to his yards-per-catch average of 8.3 last season as “atrocious.”

But with a year of experience combined with a younger quarterback and the expectation of better play from the offensive line, Freiermuth intends on showing himself as a better downfield threat in 2022.

“I should be more in the range of 800, 900 (season) yards, so I think I definitely need to get (yards/reception) higher and want to push the ball down the field,” Freiermuth said.