Latest news with #PatFreiermuth
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pittsburgh Steelers' Pat Freiermuth Near Bottom of Tight End Rankings
Pittsburgh Steelers' Pat Freiermuth Near Bottom of Tight End Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Pittsburgh Steelers have many questions this offseason as they prepare for the 2025 campaign. Advertisement After a 10-7 regular season that saw a four-game losing streak to end the year, plus a one-and-done postseason appearance, Pittsburgh needs a turnaround year. But it'll be tough with no viable quarterback as the calendar flips to June. While the team has upgraded at wideout with the addition of DK Metcalf and subtraction of George Pickens, they're most likely not done adding offensive pieces. One of the existing pieces they'd like to count on is veteran tight end Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth was taken in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Penn State with the No. 55 overall pick. He quickly established himself as a go-to target for Ben Roethlisberger and posted 497 yards on 60 catches with seven touchdowns. Advertisement The next year saw him improve with 732 yards on 63 catches with two scores with Kenny Pickett under center. But without a bona fide starting quarterback the past two seasons, Freiermuth's numbers have suffered, and he's not in the top 20 of the Pro Football Focus tight end rankings heading into 2025. 22. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers "Freiermuth had a nice bounce-back season in 2024, logging a career-high 68 catches and seven touchdowns. He also dropped five passes and fumbled three times while breaking just six tackles. His 70.0 PFF receiving grade was good, but with uncertainty in the Steelers' quarterback room, his production might take another hit in 2025." Advertisement The Steelers still don't have a quarterback for next season other than rookie Will Howard and Mason Rudolph. Without a savior under center, Freiermuth's numbers could once again suffer. Related: Steelers Ex 5th-Round Running Back Released From CFL Team Related: Steelers Rumored Interest in Dolphins Tight End Loses Steam This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth helps serve pizza to teenagers
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth was helping serve up pizzas to local teenagers on Thursday. Freiermuth was joined by Steely McBeam, the Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, and the Little Caesars Love Kitchen to hand out fresh slices and play games with kids outside Rezzanine Esports in Collier Township. Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth helped serve pizza to teenagers on Thursday. KDKA "It's just great to give back to the Pittsburgh community," Freiermuth said. "They've been so good to me and my family, so it's great to see the smiles on these kids faces and be able to provide some joy." The Little Caesars Love Kitchen is a big rig pizza kitchen that travels across the country on wheels and works to help feed people in need.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Steelers and Dolphins discuss trade for tight end Jonnu Smith, report says
The Miami Dolphins have reportedly had trade talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers involving tight end Jonnu Smith. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the two teams have discussed a potential trade centered around the Pro Bowl tight end amid contract talks. CBS Miami's Mike Cugno reports, citing a source, that Smith is looking to rework his current two-year contract. ESPN reported that Smith's preference is to stay in Miami under a revised deal. He reportedly signed a two-year, $8.4 million deal with the Dolphins last offseason after playing the 2023 season with the Atlanta Falcons. Jonnu Smith trade talks after breakout season Smith is coming off a career-best 88-catch season. He added 884 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. All three marks were records for a Dolphins tight end in a single season. It was a breakout campaign for Smith, who had a larger role on offense as wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle dealt with injuries. Smith was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans out of Florida International University. He spent four seasons in Tennessee before two years with the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh's interest in Smith is tied to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was Tennessee's tight ends coach when Jonnu Smith was on the team. Arthur Smith also traded for the tight end during his stint as head coach of the Falcons. Pittsburgh currently has 2021 second-round pick Pat Freiermuth on its tight end depth chart, as well as 2023 third-round pick Darnell Washington. Freiermuth inked an extension with Pittsburgh last season. Earlier this offseason, the Steelers traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Predicting the Steelers Week 1 starting offense ahead of OTAs
On Tuesday, May 27, the Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off OTAs, and while mandatory work doesn't start until June 10, we expect a full house in attendance as this team looks to shake off another ugly end to a season. The Steelers roster is largely in place and while we know there might still be that one big signing on the horizon we are going to make our prediction about the Week One starters based on who is on the roster now. Quarterback - Mason Rudolph Advertisement Running back - Jaylen Warren Wide receiver - DK Metcalf Wide receiver - Robert Woods Wide receiver - Roman Wilson Tight end - Pat Freiermuth Left tackle - Broderick Jones Left guard - Isaac Seumalo Center - Zach Frazier Right guard - Mason McCormick Right tackle - Troy Fautanu This group isn't going to scare any NFL defenses but if you pair up Warren with rookie Kaleb Johnson and bring in backup tight end Darnell Washington to block, this group might be boring but could move the football. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers offensive starters ahead of OTAs
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
George Pickens wasn't going to ‘grow up,' forcing the Steelers' hand
Throughout George Pickens' highlight and headache-filled tenure in Pittsburgh, it would be hard to find a more staunch defender of the wide receiver than Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. During Pickens' rookie season, after the receiver threw a tantrum because he wasn't getting the ball during a win in Atlanta, Tomlin reframed it as an emotional player who wanted to be part of the game plan. When Pickens failed to block for Jaylen Warren near the goal line in 2023, citing his fear of being injured, Tomlin tried to deflect the blame onto the media, calling them 'vulture-like.' Last season, when Pickens wore eye black that read 'Open F—ing Always' in a game against the Dallas Cowboys, Tomlin maintained two days later that he didn't see it. Asked why Pickens played a career-low 34 snaps and ran a career-low 20 routes in that game, Tomlin refused to acknowledge it was a benching and instead called it 'snap management.' And when Pickens got into a wrestling match with Cleveland Browns defensive back Greg Newsome at the end of a loss in Cleveland, Tomlin again said he wasn't aware of the incident. Pickens' antics continued all the way through the regular-season finale, when tight end Pat Freiermuth had to hold back the receiver, who was arguing with fans. But after deflecting often — and at other times, perhaps stretching the truth on Pickens' behalf — even Tomlin's patience appeared to be running thin by the end of the 2024 season. It reached an inflection point in Week 13 in Cincinnati. Pickens was flagged twice for unsportsmanlike conduct — one for making a gun gesture and another for dropping a ball on a Bengals defender. For one of the first times publicly, Tomlin reprimanded his star receiver. 'He's got to grow up,' the coach said. 'He's got to grow up in a hurry.' In that moment, you had to ask yourself: If Pickens had been in the league for nearly three years and hadn't grown up, would he ever? Before the next game in which Pickens was active, we got the answer. After the Cincinnati win, Pickens missed three games with a hamstring injury. Back in action for the first time since Tomlin's comments, Pickens showed up 40 minutes late for the Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was after the list of inactive players was released. When several teammates were asked about Pickens' tardiness, they brushed it off as a regular occurrence. That sure doesn't sound like a player who got the coach's message, does it? While speculation about a potential trade has swirled throughout the offseason and picked up steam after the Steelers acquired DK Metcalf, GM Omar Khan said repeatedly that he wanted to keep both big-play weapons on board for 2025. It now seems he was trying to maintain as much leverage as possible and was well aware that the Pickens experiment had met its expiration date. After shopping Pickens during draft week, Khan pulled off the second significant receiver trade of the offseason on Wednesday when he dealt Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. While the trade unquestionably makes the roster worse in 2025, this was a necessary and perhaps inevitable move. The biggest factor was the timing. Whether the Steelers liked it or not, the Pickens situation was reaching a crossroads as the mercurial receiver entered the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. The Steelers typically love to lock up productive players before they can hit the open market, but signing Pickens to a long-term agreement this offseason would have been a mistake. They have learned the hard way with receivers like Antonio Brown that money doesn't fix these problems — it only makes them worse. Khan was wise to acquire Metcalf, giving himself the necessary flexibility to pivot, essentially giving the big-money deal to an outside option instead of the known headache. Many in Pittsburgh have argued the Steelers could have ridden out the 2025 season with both receivers and hoped Pickens stayed on track during a contract year. There are two problems with that path: First, if a coach like Tomlin, who is known for reaching problematic players, couldn't get through to Pickens in three years, he was never going to. There were many times when Pickens' personality was counterproductive to winning. Sure, it might be easy from the outside to see Pickens' immense talent and 'SportsCenter' Top 10-worthy catches and be frustrated with the trade. But behind the scenes, players were the ones getting frustrated. Consider the amount of time and emotional energy it took from players, coaches and staffers just to get a 24-year-old professional athlete to play a football game. 'We all know who the problem is,' one offensive player said following the loss against Dallas, when Pickens sported the controversial eye black and was quietly benched. Secondly, and more importantly, the Steelers didn't hold the cards. Just a few years ago, Diontae Johnson was entering the final year of his rookie deal. He held in during training camp to force the Steelers to sign him to an extension. This kind of behavior is common in a booming market for receivers. Just last year, Brandon Aiyuk was in a similar circumstance, holding in and asking for a trade (he was nearly sent to Pittsburgh) before signing an extension with the 49ers. Pickens, who doesn't seem to care about fines eating into his salary, could have easily followed the same playbook. If he held out or held in, the Steelers would have been in a messy, uncertain situation. Meanwhile, Pickens' value would have plummeted. By trading Pickens now, the Steelers might have maximized the trade return and can now move on fully without distractions. The fact that more teams weren't lining up or offering more shows that the rest of the league had concerns about adding a player like Pickens. Now look: In the short term, there will be growing pains from this decision, especially for a receiver room that was thin last year and is now thin once again. The Steelers carried five receivers last year. The top five candidates on the roster are Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Robert Woods and Ben Skowronek. Scotty Miller and a handful of undrafted free agents could also be in that conversation. Aside from Metcalf, there are a lot of unknowns in that group. If the Steelers want to upgrade on the open market, the available options in free agency all come with question marks. Recently released Gabe Davis might be near the top of the list of possibilities. Other veteran free agents include Amari Cooper, Nelson Agholor, Odell Beckham Jr. and Tyler Boyd. There are also trade candidates, especially one of Aaron Rodgers' preferred targets like Allen Lazard. No one should be fooled into thinking any of these options will come close to matching Pickens' potential. And that's fine. If the Steelers were legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year, maybe it would make sense to take a gamble and hope Pickens would show up and play well in his contract year. But they're not, even if Rodgers signs. If the Steelers are honest with themselves, the goal of the 2025 season shouldn't be to put together a faux contender. Too often, they have looked for short-term solutions only to fight and claw their way to a nine- or 10-win season that ends in the first round of the playoffs. The only way to get out of football purgatory is to think more broadly. To his credit, it appears Khan is willing to take this more patient, long-term approach. In the draft, he's been loading up on offensive and defensive linemen while passing on polarizing, young QBs. With a projected 12 draft picks in 2026 (including trades and compensatory picks), the Steelers now have plenty of draft capital to move up and land their future franchise QB next season. By adding another third-round pick, they should also have opportunities in the draft and via trade to surround that QB with weapons. Done right, the Steelers will have maximized the compensation from a Pickens trade and positioned themselves better for long-term success in 2026 and beyond. Although there might be short-term discomfort in 2025, a long-term plan aimed at making noise in the postseason in 2026 and beyond is a sound process. I'd be willing to defend that as staunchly as Tomlin defended Pickens in the past. (Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
