How should the Steelers address their sudden lack of tight end depth?
The Steelers have lost half of their tight ends this offseason, partially by choice, but the result is the same. They need replacements. Or at least one replacement, a third tight end to pair with their two mainstays in the room. The question is, how do they best go about doing that?
The Steelers aren’t likely to sign a tight end like David Njoku, which could be a rerun of Jonnu Smith. Not that inefficient, at least, but in the sense of dividing the labor with Freiermuth. If anything, the Steelers will be looking to give him a heavier load, not a lighter one. He even admitted he grew frustrated with his lack of playing time last year.
In Freiermuth and Washington, the Steelers obviously have a really good core of tight ends. But every team needs at least three, or three tight end-like bodies. Right now, the only other tight end the Steelers have is 2025 UDFA JJ Galbreath. While he might be an interesting sleeper this offseason, you can’t hand him a job.
So how should the Steelers go about searching for a third credible tight end? Should they explore the dregs of the remaining free agent market, or focus on the draft? The fact that they have three third-round picks and two fourth-round picks gives them a lot of options. That would seem to be the ideal spot to draft a tight end, but the right player has to be there.
The Steelers drafted a tight end in three straight years in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2021, they drafted Pat Freiermuth in the second round, the highest the Steelers took a tight end since Heath Miller in 2005. A year later, they drafted Connor Heyward in the sixth round. Darnell Washington followed in the third round in 2023, but they haven’t taken another tight end since then.
Given that Heyward and Smith are gone, now would be a good time to change that. But there are some free agents out there, somebody like Will Dissly or Harrison Bryant, who would come cheap. As long as you don’t guarantee much, it would be a wise idea to have an option in hand before the draft.
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.
Recommended for you