He hasn’t worked with him just yet, but Pittsburgh Steelers veteran tight end Pat Freiermuth can’t wait to get to work with new quarterback Aaron Rodgers and get down the nuances of the game between quarterback and tight end.
Appearing on Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast, Freiermuth stated that being on the same page with Rodgers and understanding what both are looking for in situations, how Freiermuth breaks out of his cuts, and where Rodgers likes to put the football in the middle of the field are key, and things he wants to work on right away with Rodgers.
That will start Tuesday during mandatory minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side.
“I would probably go over like the way I run my choice routes or my in cuts. Just kind of seeing what depth and how he’s seeing indicator steps, just all the little nuances of those routes,” Freiermuth said of what he’d like to work with Rodgers on right away, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “‘Cause, I think, that’s what I’m good at right now. So just kind of figuring out how to get on the same page on that way.”
Freiermuth is coming off a strong fourth NFL season, finishing with 65 receptions for 653 yards and seven touchdowns and tying his career high in touchdowns dating back to his rookie season when he was catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger.
Since that great rookie season, Freiermuth has had to work with five different starting quarterbacks in Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. That’s a lot of names and faces to be familiar with and try to establish chemistry and rapport with.
To Freiermuth’s credit, he was able to do it last season with Fields and Wilson, becoming a big part of the offense in the first year under coordinator Arthur Smith. Now, entering Year 2 under Smith, Freiermuth will need to establish chemistry with a new quarterback in Rodgers.
Rodgers missing offseason time before signing last week puts the pass-catching combination behind just a bit, but Freiermuth isn’t too worried about that. He’s just thrilled to get to work with a quarterback the caliber of Rodgers, one who sees the middle of the field very well and could give Freiermuth a chance to produce in that area of the field once again.
Those middle-of-the-field routes are the ones Freiermuth is most excited to run this season with his new quarterback.
“Probably like the seam routes or in cuts or like deeper digs. I think I’m excited for that,” Freiermuth said. “I think he sees the field very well in the middle portion of it, so I’m very excited to kind of get working with him and talking with him through that stuff.”
Last season Freiermuth had some success in the middle of the field, even if it was a location that the Steelers didn’t attack much in the passing game. According to Pro Football Focus, 32 of Freiermuth’s 65 receptions came between the numbers on 38 targets, good for 390 yards and four touchdowns. One target to Freiermuth was intercepted, while he had three drops in the middle of the field.
Rodgers had some success in the middle of the field last season with the Jets, too, throwing for 2,077 yards between the numbers with 187 completions on 261 attempts (71.6% completion), with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions, according to PFF. Pretty solid numbers overall.
Now, the Steelers just need to trust Rodgers to throw the football there this season, something they avoided with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson last season. If they trust Rodgers to target the middle of the field consistently, that will bode well for Freiermuth, who could have a big year with the future Hall of Fame quarterback under center.
Putting in the work now and learning each other and getting on the same page will do wonders for that leading into the season. Better late than never.
Check out the full episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward below.
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