Are the Steelers finally figuring out how to use Pat Freiermuth again?
For weeks now, it seemed as though the Steelers forgot how to use Pat Freiermuth, the tight end they signed to a 48.4 million extension. Whoopsies, right? Well, on Thursday, Aaron Rodgers started throwing to him, and he started catching passes. Five in all, to be more specific, for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Granted, Freiermuth rattled off 68 yards on one touchdown run largely thanks to busted coverage. Even a competent defense on that play would have made his final stat line look considerably more modest. But good tight ends know how to exploit the weaknesses in a coverage look, and he can do that.
The question is, how much do the Steelers value what Pat Freiermuth brings versus everything else they have going on? In recent weeks, they have really emphasized their desire to counter 4-3 fronts with big bodies. Without naming names, they basically said that Freiermuth just doesn’t fit with that.
The Steelers did play him a bit more on Thursday against the 4-3-front Bengals. Indeed, he slightly more than doubled his snaps from the previous two games combined, 37 to 36. Freiermuth ended up playing 65 percent of the Steelers’ snaps, only the second time he has been above 50 percent this year.
But is this a sign of things to come? Was it just a particular matchup the Steelers liked with Pat Freiermuth against the Bengals? Was it because of in-game adjustments that they found? Basically, to what extent can we expect this to carry over into future games?
Freiermuth is supposed to be the quarterback’s best friend, and in the past, he has been that to Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, and other quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers had talked up all of his tight ends, though. He’s also had plenty to say about Freiermuth, including after the game. He made clear that while his role had been diminishing, his attitude had not. That paid dividends on Thursday, but is another windfall on the way? Or is he going back in the box until the next fluke performance allows us to have this discussion again?
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers isthe quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
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