Player: TE Pat Freiermuth
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: It’s been a good offseason so far for Pat Freiermuth, starting with Jonnu Smith’s release and Arthur Smith’s departure. While I’m sure he liked Smith fine, the arrangement left him with inadequate playing time and opportunities. For one thing, Jonnu Smith was Arthur Smith’s guy. New HC Mike McCarthy seems better equipped to use Freiermuth’s talents. And his new offensive coordinator is a former tight ends coach, so there’s that, too.
Of all the veteran Steelers, Pat Freiermuth may have benefited the most this offseason. Already paid like a top-10 player, he should actually have the opportunities now to match it. Last season, in Arthur Smith’s run-first, tight-end-heavy offense, he took a back seat too often to Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith. The latter, however, was the bigger issue, as both are primarily pass-catching tight ends.
But Pat Freiermuth proved to be the more reliable and efficient receiver, to nobody’s surprise, I imagine. And the Steelers couldn’t justify paying Jonnu Smith what he was making. I can’t help but notice that nobody has expressed any interest in him yet, either. And mind you, as a roster cut, he is a street free agent. He wouldn’t count against any team’s compensatory formula, so there’s no need to wait. In fact, Pittsburgh cut him ahead of time to give him a head start on unrestricted free agents.
In the right offense, Pat Freiermuth could be a 90-catch, 900-yard, 10-touchdown tight end. He could also contribute as a blocker, especially if they can keep him engaged. But now is the time for him to step up and show the full breadth of his skills. Provided, of course, that the Steelers utilize him. With DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., they have two reliable wide receivers now. Odds are they will draft at least one that will play, as well. But we shouldn’t see a huge number of targets for the running backs, at least not compared to last year. Between that and Jonnu Smith’s departure, there should be a good bunch of extra passes coming Freiermuth’s way.
With the 2025 season behind us and the new league year underway, we still have stock to take. Already promising a year of change, they are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation will fundamentally change this football team, including the playoffs on the roster.
After a long season, we have finally seen that this Steelers team is playoff-bound. But they also showed that their progress was actually minimal, since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are that they ended the season on a higher note and won the division. But it didn’t help.