Although Jonnu Smith was a Pro Bowl tight end last year, it doesn’t seem Gerry Dulac thinks the Steelers will treat him like one. Indeed, Pittsburgh already has Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at tight end, and even Connor Heyward, a versatile chess piece. Yet while Heyward will have to give ground, it doesn’t seem Dulac expects much to change otherwise.
“He’ll be their third tight end”, Dulac said of Jonnu Smith about the Steelers’ plans on the Rich Eisen Show. “What he is is, he’s MyCole Pruitt, but a better version. He’s an upgrade over that. He’s a guy who can play tight end, he’s a guy who can line up at wide receiver, and he’s a guy who can line up at fullback. That’s exactly what Arthur Smith wanted when he brought in one of his former players, MyCole Pruitt. It’s the same thing with Jonnu Smith”.
MyCole Pruitt and Jonnu Smith are two versatile tight ends who spent most of their careers following OC Arthur Smith. They both played for him in three different cities now, or will, and in three different capacities. Indeed, Pruitt and Smith were teammates for four years already—three in Tennessee, one in Atlanta.
When Arthur Smith joined the Steelers as offensive coordinator in 2024, though, he brought along MyCole Pruitt, a man he already coached for five years. Along with Cordarrelle Patterson and Scotty Miller, he could help install his offense. Jonnu Smith also knows Arthur Smith’s offense well, having most recently played in it in 2023.
But what exactly would an upgraded MyCole Pruitt look like for the Steelers in 2024 for Jonnu Smith? Is it as bad as that might sound, just on face value? Consider the fact that Pruitt played 34 percent of the team’s snaps when healthy—not counting in-game injuries.
Obviously, the Steelers don’t want to take away what they already have at tight end with Freiermuth and Washington. But something doesn’t add up. As part of the trade, the Steelers are reportedly giving Jonnu Smith a one-year, $12 million extension.
In what universe do you pay an eight-figure salary to a third tight end? Even if you run a base 13-personnel offense, it would still be hard to extract that kind of value. Beyond that, everyone other than Dulac has talked about how much the Steelers love Jonnu Smith. Jeremy Fowler, for instances, mentioned them being “really, really excited” for the move. No offense to MyCole Pruitt, but I don’t think his signing last year made anyone really, really excited.
So how, then, to take this reporting by Gerry Dulac? Is his invoking of Pruitt, who averages 88 yards per season, misleading? He still clearly described Jonnu Smith as the Steelers’ third tight end. Even if they plan to significantly increase their 13 personnel usage, it’s still a bit hard to fathom.
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