Since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson in the middle of March, a wide receiver to take his place has been seen as one of the team’s biggest needs.
The team doesn’t have a viable option to be their WR2 on the roster right now and most of the top free agents have already been picked up this offseason.
That has led to the expectation that they could look for their WR2 at some point in the draft.
However, a writer for the team’s website thinks that the team’s second pass catching option might already be on the roster.
Steelers.com’s Dale Lolley believes the team could turn to tight end Pat Freiermuth as their second pass catching option.
Steelers’ Pass Catching Options
Whether it is Russell Wilson or Justin Fields under center for the Steelers in 2024, it is obvious who their favorite target is going to be.
George Pickens is the clear star of the passing game after he made 63 catches for 1140 yards in his second NFL season.
After him, the options at receiver are a lot less appealing.
The next options on the depth chart are Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, and Calvin Austin.
Watkins caught 15 passes for 142 yards last season.
Jefferson made 20 catches for 209 yards between stints with the Rams and Falcons.
Austin has 17 catches for 180 yards in his career.
If the Steelers don’t find an option they love in the first few rounds of the NFL Draft, that could make Freiermuth the choice to be the number two option in the passing game behind Pickens.
Why Freiermuth Could be the Answer
There is a lot working in Freiermuth’s favor ahead of his fourth year in the NFL.
He has shown in the past that he can be a dependable option at tight end. Over his first two years in the league, he made 123 catches for 1229 yards.
It was a strong start at a position that tends to develop slowly.
His third year was a letdown. He only made 32 catches for 308 yards, but injuries and bad quarterback play were more to blame for that than a talent issue.
2024 should present him with an opportunity to get back on track.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith tends to run a passing game that leans on tight ends.
In his first year as an OC, Jonnu Smith, Delanie Walker, and Anthony Firkser combined for 858 yards.
Smith was third on the team in receiving yards that season.
The following year, Smith and Firkser combined for 835 yards. Smith was once again third on the team in receiving yards and the offense finished the year fourth in scoring.
In Smith’s first season as a head coach, Kyle Pitts made 68 catches for 1026 yards as a rookie.
In 2023, Arthur Smith was reunited with Jonnu Smith and the tight end combined with Pitts for more than 1200 yards.
The Steelers don’t have much competition at tight end for Freiermuth, so he could soak up all of that usage at the position.
Making Freiermuth one of the team’s top receiving options would also emulate some of the league’s top contenders.
The four teams that made the conference championship games in 2023 had Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Sam Laporta, and George Kittle on their rosters.
All four were at least the second pass catching option on their respective teams.
Freiermuth hasn’t proven himself to be on the same level as those tight ends, but appeared to be on the path to becoming an elite option after two seasons in the league.
He could also be an option worth building around for the Steelers as he has already expressed his interest in spending his whole career in Pittsburgh.
Becoming the team’s second pass catching option could secure that long tenure in Pittsburgh for Freiermuth.
Like Heavy.com’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
The post Steelers Writer Believes Team’s 2nd Pass Catcher Could Already Be on the Roster appeared first on Heavy.com.