This is the seventh in a series looking at the Steelers by position heading into their 2024 training camp at Saint Vincent College July 24. Today: Tight End
Players (5): Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, MyCole Pruitt, Rodney Williams
The 2023 season was a difficult one for Steelers' starting tight end Pat Freiermuth.
A hamstring injury cost him five full games, while his targets fell from 98 in 2022 to just 47 last season.
In fact, as a group, the Steelers tight ends got just 93 total targets, fewer than Freiermuth got by himself the previous season, showing how the position was somewhat ignored in 2023.
That likely will not be the case again in 2024 with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith now running the offense.
In Atlanta last season, Smith used two tight end sets 61 percent of the time. And his two tight ends, Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith, combined to catch 103 passes for more than 1,200 yards and six touchdowns.
Only one team targeted tight ends more than the Falcons.
"It's very exciting," Freiermuth said of Smith's offense. "There's a lot of stuff for the tight ends."
And the Steelers have a lot of tight ends with NFL experience. In fact, all five tight ends on the roster have been on active NFL rosters.
Freiermuth, who became just the second tight end in NFL history to catch 60 or more passes in each of his first two seasons before his injury-plagued 2023 season, is the leader.
Heading into his fourth NFL season, the former second-round draft pick could be headed for a true breakout season playing in Smith's tight end-friendly offense.
Behind Freiermuth, the Steelers have an interesting mixture of veterans and young players in all shapes and sizes.
Second-year player Darnell Washington is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-7, 264 pounds. Washington was targeted just 10 times in the passing game last season, catching seven passes for 61 yards, but his value comes as an in-line blocker.
Washington got better and better as a blocker as his rookie season went on, and he should take a significant jump in that regard in 2024.
At 6-foot, 230 pounds, Heyward serves as more of a receiver than a blocker, though he also doubles as a fullback.
Athletically, Heyward is a matchup issue, as he's too big for most defensive backs to handle, but more athletic than most linebackers. He caught 23 passes for 167 yards in 2023 after having 12 catches for 151 yards and one touchdown as a rookie.
Veteran MyCole Pruitt was brought in as a free agent, giving the Steelers another excellent blocker. At 6-foot-2, 258 pounds, Pruitt splits the difference between Washington and Heyward in terms of size.
The veteran has followed Smith from his days in Tennessee, where he was first and offensive coordinator, to Atlanta. He's a very good blocker on the move and still plays special teams, even at 32 years old.
Special teams was largely Williams' role last season as a first-year player getting his first NFL experience.
Undrafted out of Tennessee-Martin, Martin is athletic and a willing blocker.
When Freiermuth was placed on the reserve/injured list with his hamstring injury, Williams was elevated from the practice squad and made several hustle plays on special teams that earned him a roster spot for the remainder of the season.
