Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is looking for a rebound season after a disappointing backward step last year as the Steelers offense sputtered. As a rookie in 2021 with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, Freiermuth had a very productive season, catching 60 passes for 497 yards and seven touchdowns, quickly establishing himself as a presence in the red zone.
He followed up his rookie year with more catches (63) and yards (732) in 2022 but caught only two touchdowns. Pittsburgh’s scoring offense struggled as Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky combined to throw just 11 touchdowns. The passing offense bottomed out last season as Pickett and Mason Rudolph combined for just 2,789 aerial yards and a woeful nine touchdown passes.
That lack of production translated to all receivers, but Freiermuth was as adversely impacted as any skill position player on the roster. Freiermuth missed five due to injury; he caught just 32 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 12 appearancs. He had just one game with more than three receptions, one outing with more than 44 receiving yards, eight contests with 21 or fewer receiving yards, and didn’t score a touchdown after Week 3.
