Where's Steelers' Freiermuth Rank?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some questions to answer as it pertains to their passing offense.

Will quarterback Russell Wilson last the whole season? Will offensive coordinator Arthur Smith bounce-back from a sobering tenure with the Atlanta Falcons? Will both rookie starters on the offensive line live up to their draft capital?

Amongst all the uncertainty is the solace that comes from the tight end room. Headlined by Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh has one of the best groups of tight ends in the sport. While Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward are nice contributors, it’s Freiermuth’s contributions that loom large for the passing offense.

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How does he rank in relation to his peers?

Per CBS Sports’ ranking of the top 20 tight ends, Freiermuth comes in at 14th. That’s one spot ahead of Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet and right behind Houston Texans pass-catcher Dalton Schultz.

“Freiermuth missed a few games due to injury but even when healthy he took a step backward, along with the rest of Pittsburgh's offense last season,” Jared Dubin wrote. “He posted career lows in receptions and yards per game, as well as success rate on those catches, and his yards per reception average dropped 2 full yards from 2022 to 2023.

“He's going to move up the pecking order in the passing game this year, though, and in a more functional offense should be able to tap back into what made him effective during his first two NFL seasons. Hopefully.”

As far as division rivals go, both Cleveland Browns veteran David Njoku and Baltimore Ravens star Mark Andrews rank ahead of Freirmuth, at No. 7 and No. 3, respectively.

Outshining Freiermuth from afar shouldn’t take away from the threat he poses in the slot and in-line for the Steelers. At his best, Freiermuth is a formidable force over the middle of the field and one of the league’s better security blankets.

That becomes especially important given the state of the Steelers receiver room, which in terms of proven commodities, boasts only George Pickens. Some other pass-catcher must step up.

Given the unsteadiness of both of Pittsburgh’s potential passers this season, that development from Freiermuth should have a tangible impact on Sundays.