Will the Steelers target Pat Freiermuth much more with Jonnu Smith out of the way?
With the Steelers releasing Jonnu Smith, many have pointed to Pat Freiermuth as a winner in the aftermath. It makes sense, in theory; after all, Smith significantly ate into his snaps last season. In fact, Freiermuth was coming off a career year, and then the 2024 Pro Bowler elbowed his way in.
Last season, Pat Freiermuth played a career-low 51 percent of the Steelers’ snaps, despite being healthy. Some would call it a slap in the face to a player whom they are paying an eight-figure salary. The only time he played fewer than the 522 snaps he saw last season was when he missed five games in 2023.
On top of that, Freiermuth dropped from 78 targets in 2024 to just 54 last year. His catches fell from 65 to 41, though his yardage suffered less, 653 to 486. He still managed 4 touchdowns after matching a career-high 7 the year before.
Part of the reason the Steelers traded for Jonnu Smith last year was his prior history with former OC Arthur Smith. With Mike Tomlin and nearly his entire staff gone, their priorities will shift, as well. Clearly, this new staff had no attachment to Smith, who is now gone. On paper, Pat Freiermuth should be a much better fit for a Mike McCarthy offense.
And until the Steelers bolster their wide receiver room, Freiermuth is still the No. 2 target on this current roster. Behind DK Metcalf, nobody is really scaring defenses. Maybe you don’t want to tackle Darnell Washington in open space, but that’s still a limited package.
Of course, we’ve been down this road before. The “Steelers need to use Pat Freiermuth” discussion is like an annual tradition, at least for the past few years. He has only seen 80-plus targets once in his career, but they know he can produce more. So, with Jonnu Smith out of the picture, will we finally see his usage and target share spike?
The Steelers exited the playoffs in the first round yet again, a pattern going back to 2017.With seven consecutive postseason losses and no wins in nearly a decade, they are facing another long, long offseason. No doubt we will see many changes, but none will top Mike Tomlin’s resignation.
The NFL has crowned its latest champion, but for us and the Steelers, we have been in offseason mode. That’s what happens when the team you coverloses by the middle of January all the time, but you’ve been around, so you know that already. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
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