The Steelers Have An Unconventional Option To Compliment Pickens
Jamie Germano / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
All offseason, there have been rumors about the Pittsburgh Steelers needing to acquire a No. 2 wide receiver opposite George Pickens. Most of those rumors have centered around disgruntled San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk. While there seemed to be a lot of smoke around that trade possibility, nothing ever materialized.
Deebo Samuel and Courtland Sutton were also in heavy rotation on the rumor mill as options to join the Steelers this offseason. Nothing ever came to fruition. With a month left before training camp, the Black and Gold are in the same dilemma, still looking for that compliment to Pickens.
Yet, Pittsburgh may not be in as dire straits as some seem to believe. That’s because a healthy Pat Freiermuth is a top-10 tight end in the NFL. As long as he can stay on the field, there’s no reason he can’t be the second option that the Steelers are looking for. While some might think that’s unconventional, it’s really not an unusual or bizarre way to put an offense together. Let’s take a look at how it can work.
The Steelers need a competent second receiver, make no mistake about it. Freiermuth isn’t going to replace the kind of outside production Diontae Jackson provided for years. That’s also not what Pittsburgh needs him to do. All they need is a steady hand that can make tough catches in the seam and over the middle. Freiermuth can serve as the safety valve for quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith also loves to feature tight ends. When Smith became the tight ends coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2014, that position received a starring role in the offense. Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith regularly lead the team in targets. When Arthur Smith took over as head coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, he leaned even more on the tight end position. In 2023 in partuclar, Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith were second and third on the team in targets, with a total of 160 between them. That’s a ton of balls thrown to tight ends.
The Steelers do need a second option, but is giving up a ton of draft capital, and then throwing a ton of cash at that said receiver really in Pittsburgh’s best interest? Pittsburgh’s front office seems to be on the other side of flipping the roster, and general manager Omar Khan would rather have the current roster take care of this pressing need. Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin certainly won’t allow the season to go to ruins if that second receiver is not on the roster. Training camp with be huge in finding if Freiermuth can fill that role beside Pickens.
Look no further than the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs on whether a tight end-centric philosophy can work. Travis Kelce has made a living being either the first or second option within Andy Reid’s offense. Yes, Kelce is arguably the best tight end to ever play, and yes, his quarterback is Patrick Mahomes. The point still stands — their offense still works despite the unconventional prioritization of the tight end.
The seeming desperation for a second wide receiver is overblown. Freiermuth can be that second option, and Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, or Van Jefferson are more than capable of working out in a No. 3 receiver role if given a real opportunity. Much of the speculation on the wide receiver room has come from OTAs and minicamp, where there are zero pads. While some might think that’s an insignificant detail when it comes to receivers, it absolutely isn’t.
But look around the league. There is the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, and even Aiyuk and Samuel’s 49ers. Tight ends are all huge parts of those offenses, and often the second receiving option. This isn’t a foreign concept, and it also happens to be the best solution for the Steelers at this time. If Freiermuth can stay healthy, his talent will elevate this Steelers offense to the heights it is looking to go by looking solid as the team’s second-best receiver, regardless of the position he plays.
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