Tim Benz: Little details of Pat Freiermuth's game could lead to a big impact on Steelers offense

The big picture on Pat Freiermuth is that the Steelers hope he will be an answer at tight end for years to come.

Freiermuth’s measurables are impressive. He’s 6-foot-5, 251 pounds with 9 7/8-inch hands. And with a 4.72 40-yard dash, he’s fast enough for a tight end of that size.

But it’s the minutiae of his game that may get the Penn State rookie ingrained into the offense as early as Week 1 of his first season.

In the wake of Freiermuth’s two touchdown performance in a 26-20 preseason win over the Detroit Lions Saturday night, the Massachusetts native had Steelers Nation buzzing.

First NFL TD for @pat_fry5!

: @nflnetwork/@KDKA pic.twitter.com/VsOmpvwvhL

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 21, 2021

.@pat_fry5 would like another please

: @nflnetwork/@KDKA pic.twitter.com/QyYqlj63CF

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 22, 2021

Beyond the highlights, though, it’s Freiermuth’s polish that has his teammates paying attention.

Particularly in the red zone.

“In practice, probably three or four times, he’s (on the) back end line, and he hasn’t gotten his feet in. He got one in, which is good in college, but not good in the NFL,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Saturday night. “He had one this past week, where he didn’t keep both in. But on the touchdown, he kept both in, and you can tell he’s working on his craft.”

Freiermuth says the nuance of congested football in the red zone fits his practice personality.

“There’s so much detail down there, and I’m sure a detail-oriented guy,” Freiermuth said. “Maybe some person who is great in the open field lacks the detail down there because the field is smaller. I understand coverage more down there, and I understand what I need to do to get open and score touchdowns.”

Nothing about this performance under game time lights is surprising to head coach Mike Tomlin.

“I don’t think he showed us anything different than he’s shown us throughout every component of this process, even dating back to minicamp,” Tomlin said. “You know, he made a very similar play in red zone work in minicamp, so I don’t think any of us are surprised by what he was able to do tonight.”

Roethlisberger isn’t the only Steelers quarterback who has gained a quick appreciation for some finer points of Freiermuth’s game. Mason Rudolph says something specific about Freiermuth’s route-running helps the guys making the throws.

“He turns his head quickly out of routes,” Rudolph says. “He’s not a rookie. It seems like he’s got experience. It seems like he’s older than what he really is. There was a stretch in those first six or seven practices when he never dropped a single ball. And there were some balls outside of his radius.”

According to Freiermuth, that trait of locating the quarterback quickly is something he’s done well for a while.

“I’ve always been good at coming downhill and getting out of my breaks and making contact with the quarterback,” Freiermuth said. “It is something that I have always worked at. Just kinda be that security blanket for the quarterback. Something I take pride in. Have my head around and make plays like that.”

Rudolph says that the smooth edges of Freiermuth’s performance aren’t restricted to his physical game. That’s noticeable in his mental game and emotional approach as well.

“He’s relatively calm out there,” Rudolph continued. “He doesn’t have that wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights look. I think he’s going to be a good player.”

It’s safe to say he already is. The greater question may be, can he press Eric Ebron for the starting job?

For now, Tomlin will probably be happy just to have solid depth at the tight end position and the ability to work from two tight end sets more often with two guys that can get open and make plays. That’s compared to a depth chart that featured Vance McDonald, who found himself in more of a blocking role than anything else in the latter stages of his career prior to his retirement this offseason.

Depth and versatility weren’t strong points of the Steelers offense a year ago. If his blocking — which isn’t too shabby for a rookie — catches up to his route-running and his hands, Freiermuth appears to be a potential component as to how that could change in 2021.