Tag: Pat Freiermuth

Stats suggest Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth could open 2024 season on high note

PFF stats suggest Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth could open the season on a high note, if one player doesn’t rain on his parade.

Predictions and forecasts have been made, but no one truly knows what to expect from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. Several coaching staff changes have made it nearly impossible.

One of the significant staff changes is coordinator Arthur Smith, who historically runs a tight-end friendly offensive. Pat Freiermuth will be the beneficiary if that’s how the season plays out.

Pro Football Focus stats suggest Freiermuth could open the season on a high note — if one player doesn’t rain on his parade. Strong safety Justin Simmons, who the Falcons added on Aug. 18, is one of the best at his position in reading quarterbacks and defending tight ends. Simmons is entering his ninth season, eight of which were with Russell Wilson‘s former Denver Broncos team.

An April tweet by former Steelers great Antonio Brown tied Simmons to the Black and Gold, but having DeShon Elliot on the roster made it a long shot.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Steelers/status/1830716255294124268

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Fantasy Football: 5 sleeper tight ends for 2024 NFL season

Taysom Hill averaged 9.1 PPG last season (ninth among tight ends), but he’s being drafted as TE21 this summer.

The 2024 NFL season will kick off this week when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. The return of the NFL’s regular season also marks the return of fantasy football.

Ahead of Thursday’s opener, we’ve put together a quick list of sleeper tight ends for the 2024 season. Sleepers, for our purposes, are players we believe will finish higher than their average draft position (ADP) this fall. They’re not necessarily unknown players, but they are being undervalued by fantasy managers this offseason.

1. Dalton Schultz (ADP 125): Schultz finished as TE11 last season so his being drafted as TE13 isn’t a huge discrepancy, but he should prove to be a good value pick for fantasy managers who opt to wait to draft a TE.

2. T.J. Hockenson (ADP 126): Please understand that this is not a recommendation to overdraft Hockenson, who will miss at least the first four games of the season. Hockenson will eventually return from an ACL injury, though, and when he does, he could rank among the top fantasy TEs to close out the season. Drafting Hockenson late and stashing him on IR could pay dividends later in the year.

3. Pat Freiermuth (ADP 129): Freiermuth still hasn’t returned to the seven-touchdown production of his rookie season, and a five-game injury hurt his 2023 campaign. Now healthy again, he’ll look to outperform his TE15 ADP in 2024.

4. Taysom Hill (APD 151): Hill is a feast-or-famine fantasy prospect because a three-touchdown game could be followed up by a 12-yard game. Despite his up-and-down nature, Hill averaged 9.1 points per game last fall, which ranked ninth among TEs. He’s being drafted as TE21.

5. Greg Dulcich (ADP 239): It’s now or never for Denver’s former third-round pick. He missed seven games due to injuries as a rookie in 2022 and was unavailable for 15 games last fall. Now finally healthy, Dulcich will look to utilize his speed to make plays in Sean Payton’s offense that has been friendly to TEs in the past. Dulcich is being drafted as TE29 (undrafted in most leagues), so there’s no need to reach for him, but he could be an early-season waiver-wire target.

For more fantasy football coverage, check out our fantasy football hub.

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Giants urged to trade for dynamic Steelers tight end

The New York Giants are urged to trade for a dynamic tight end from the Pittsburgh Steelers deemed a “regular scoring threat.”

With the start of the 2024 NFL season just days away, teams are still toying with their rosters in hopes of getting the edge they need heading into the season.

In a recent piece for Bleacher Report, Alex Kay proposed one trade that each team should make before the season to fill a need. For the Giants, he selected Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth.

In return, the Giants would surrender a 2026 fifth-round pick. Sounds like a deal they could/should make but it’s unlikely.

The New York Giants were dealt a blow when tight end Darren Waller retired this offseason. Without the veteran in the lineup, Big Blue is set to lean on a pair of inexperienced options in Daniel Bellinger and rookie Theo Johnson.

While Bellinger has caught 55 balls for 523 yards and two scores over his first two NFL seasons and Johnson flashed some scoring chops at Penn State with seven touchdowns in 2023, there is a clear lack of pass-catching talent on this roster.

To address this issue, the G-Men should inquire about Pat Freiermuth’s availability. The Steelers have yet to extend the tight end’s contract, making him a potential free agent after the upcoming campaign.

While Freiermuth is coming off a down 2023 season—he notched a meager 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns—he’s only a year removed from a breakout 63-catch, 732-yard campaign. He also found pay dirt seven times as a rookie in 2021 and could re-emerge as a regular scoring threat if he lands with the Giants.

Considering Pittsburgh has Darnell Washington waiting in the wings, getting a Day 3 pick in return for Freiermuth could help the team during a critical 2025 offseason.

Freiermuth was a stud at Penn State before Johnson and was a highly-regarded prospect coming out as a second-round pick in 2021. He’s had a quiet career thus far even though he caught 122 passes in his first two seasons.

Last year, Freiermuth played in only 12 games due to a hamstring injury and caught just 32 passes. A lot of that also had to do with the Steelers’ quarterback issues.

The Giants could literally steal the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Freiermuth if they made this trade. He would undoubtedly add more talent to the tight end room which consists of Bellinger, Johnson, and Chris Manhertz.

But the Giants appear to be content with their current group and are betting that Johnson will blossom into a star. Plus, the Steelers would be ill-advised to give Freiermuth away.

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Steelers GM taking sweet time in contract negotiations with 2 key players

As the 2024 NFL season draws near, so does the Pittsburgh Steelers’ self-imposed deadline for contract extensions.

As the 2024 NFL season draws near, so does the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ self-imposed deadline for contract extensions. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that the Steelers have only negotiated in-season with one player since 1995, safety Darren Perry.

While several key players are heading into the season in the final year of their contracts, General Manager Omar Khan has only entered into negotiations with two: Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and tight end Pat Freiermuth.

With a total contract valued at $6.028 million ($1.507 million APY), Freiermuth is one of the lowest-paid at his position in the league. According to Spotrac, his contract ranks 39th, with several non-starters earning more. It’s still Freiermuth’s rookie deal, so the low number is not too surprising.

Freiermuth, 25, will get a hefty raise, estimated to be in the $10-$12 million range. He’s expected to be a significant part of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s game plan. Considering the Steelers are thin at receiver beyond George Pickens, Freiermuth will likely be the No. 2 target in the passing game.

Heyward’s situation is far more delicate, with the best years of his career in the rearview. The Steelers tend to treat aging players as expendable, as we witnessed with Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward. But as noted by Dulac, Khan being in talks with him indicates that he believes Heyward, 35, still has some gas left in the tank.

Entering the 14th year in the league, Heyward has stated he wants to play for a few more and retire with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If a deal cannot be reached, expect Heyward to wear different colors in 2025.

Should Freiermuth and Heyward reach deals with the Steelers, expect it to be announced this week.

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Details on TE Matt Sokol’s contract with Steelers

The Steelers signed tight end Matt Sokol this week.

With tight end Rodney Williams still dealing with a shoulder injury in training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers added free-agent tight end Matt Sokol. According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the contract is one year and worth $985,000.

Sokol is a journeyman, having played on multiple teams since coming into the NFL in 2019. He spent two tenures with the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars. Sokol was most recently with the New England Patriots.

During the course of his career, Sokol has appeared in only eight games with one start. He has never registered an NFL reception. It is highly unlikely that Sokol makes the final roster.

Tight end is proving to be one of the deepest units on the Steelers roster. Pittsburgh has worked in two- and three-TE sets during training camp, and it seems the new Arthur Smith offense is going to use the position much more than we are used to in Pittsburgh.

If the Steelers keep four tight ends, look for Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt to be on the 53-man roster.

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Steelers TE Connor Heyward says team is built for two and three tight end sets

Connor Heyward promises the Steelers are going to use multiple tight ends.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is the simplest. The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the 2024 season with a new offensive coordinator, a new scheme and a diverse roster.

One position the Steelers seem to be very deep at is tight end. Pat Freiermuth is just the tip of the iceberg for the depth chart. The Steelers also have Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, Rodney Williams and MyCole Pruitt who all can play.

Smith’s new offense has the capacity to focus heavily on the tight end as a by-product of multiple tight ends in the run game. Heyward talked to the media after training camp practice and said to expect to see two and three tight end sets this season.

Versatility is the key. Freiermuth is more than capable of splitting out and isn’t only an inline tight end like Washington. The same goes for Pruitt. As for Heyward, his experience at both tight end and running back gives him the ability to play a hybrid role and work as an H-back.

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Spotlight on Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth at training camp

Pat Freiermuth is loving the new Steelers offense and his expected role in it.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away wide receiver Diontae Johnson, no one was sure how the Steelers would compensate in the passing game. In the backs of all of our minds, we were hopeful that with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in the fold, we had confidence that tight end Pat Freiermuth could see an expanded role.

Early in training camp, this is exactly what the Steeles are doing as Freiermuth looks like he is finally going to be featured in the passing game. This is something Freiermuth is seeing and he’s loving it.

“Slants, digs, and all that, I’m running it,” Freiermuth said. “Yeah. Yeah. It’s been awesome to add that, that full route tree to my repertoire. And you know, it’s been great. It’s been fun. Everything’s been great.”

We have all seen what Freiermuth can do with competent quarterback play and opportunities. In 2022, Freiermuth saw a career-high 98 targets. Comparing that to the Tennessee Titans in 2020, their top tight end, Jonnu Smith and fullback Anthony Firsker combined for 118 targets.

But in 2023, when Smith was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, the combination of Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith had 160 targets. This is what we expect to see between Freiermuth and Darnell Washington with Freirmuth getting the Lion’s share. The Falcons ran their offense through one wide receiver, one running back and a tandem of tight ends. The formula is Pittsburgh will look a little different but Freiermuth is poised for a breakout.

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Is Pat Freiermuth a hidden gem in this year’s fantasy drafts?

Much potentially aligns for Freiermuth to produce top-flight TE numbers.

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.

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By any measure, the last two years have been a disaster for the Steelers’ passing game. The hope is that the arrival of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will bring the offense back to the level it was when Roethlisberger was at the wheel.

It was clear that the Pickett experiment didn’t work. Will things change with Wilson and Fields? If they do, Freiermuth’s value will jump sharply.

Fantasy football outlook

If you’re looking to invest in Freiermuth, the downturn in his production in 2023 will need to be ignored, because the playing field has been tilted with the arrival of Wilson and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The latter’s history in Atlanta was to lean on the running game. That benefits tight ends that can block, because they’re on the field for more snaps, and you can’t score fantasy points from the sideline. Furthermore, Smith is a former TEs coach whose system has at least attempted to incorporate the position in past settings.

Freiermuth had 60 or more receptions in each of his first two seasons and was one of the more consistent fantasy tight ends on a weekly basis. If last season was an aberration, he could be a value pick.

A compelling factor to believe that Freiermuth’s production will return to pre-2023 level is that Diontae Johnson was traded to Carolina in the offseason and Allen Robinson was cut. Those receptions need to be made up by somebody and Freiermuth, who is in a contract year, will be motivated to be a big part of filling that void in an offense with more questions than answers at wide receiver.

Freiermuth currently has an ADP in the TE13-15 range. That would make him a priority No. 2 in 12-team fantasy leagues. He would be an ideal complement in tight end-mandatory leagues for someone who opts not make a significant early investment of the position or those looking to wait and gamble on a rebound.

If Freiermuth can get back to catch 60 passes for 600 yards and a handful of touchdowns, he will be a value pick for any tight end tandem.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth gets honorable mention on ESPN rankings

Pat Freiermuth has Top 10 talent at tight end but doesn’t see nearly enough targets in the passing game.

ESPN reached out to a variety of NFL executives, coaches and scouts to get their votes for who the 10 best tight ends are currently in the NFL. While we didn’t expect to see Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth make the list we were pleasantly surprised to see him actually get an honorable mention.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about his ranking:

Freiermuth’s proverbial third-season jump into the elite was sabotaged by a hamstring injury and poor quarterback play. He had 32 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.

But it’s what one NFC executive said that really hit home for many of us shouting for Friermuth to get more targets.

“He’s the guy who should be up there,” an NFC exec said. “He’s really skilled and savvy, knows how to get open. Just doesn’t have the production.”

Freiermuth is set to hit free agency at the end of the year and if the Steelers don’t figure out a way to showcase him in the offense, he might be inclined to sign somewhere else. With Dointae Johnson off to the Carolina Panthers, Freiermuth by default becomes the team’s second-best receiving option on the team. It is just a matter of using him.

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Fantasy Football Top-10 Repeatability: Tight Ends

Take a step back and see how the Top-10 tight ends change from year to year.

Elite tight ends are notoriously thin in the fantasy world, so it is no big surprise to see a high amount of volatile players from year to year. It is a position that really only offers about three or four players with any real difference-making statistics.

Also see: Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver 

Chance of repeating Top-10 = 60%

The reality with tight ends is that the Top-5 tend to dominate the fantasy scoring for the position, and the rest make minimal difference, if any. But the position is improving each year in terms of increasing their roles on their respective teams.

Had Mark Andrews remained healthy, he would have pushed the tight ends up even higher. The exciting development is that four of the Top-10 came from a sub-No. 40 finish in 2022. Sam LaPorta was an exception for the ages as a break out rookie, but Trey McBride and Jake Ferguson both showed up in the Top-10 in just their second season, after a little-used rookie year.

The general rule with tight ends is that if they’ve had back-to-back Top-10 seasons, that they offer reliable value. The position is expanding in use by NFL teams and are starting to remake how receivers contribute.