The rest of the NFL just called out the Steelers’ usage of tight end Pat Freiermuth after years of being hidden in the offense
Pat Freiermuth was not voted among the top-10 tight ends in the NFL by league personnel, but an explanation from one NFL executive suggests it may not be his fault when it comes to his numbers.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth landed as an honorable mention in ESPN’s top 10 tight end rankings, and the quote attached to his name from an AFC executive told the whole story. Freiermuth has the talent. He has the production when targeted. What he hasn’t had is a consistent role as a focal point in the Steelers’ offense. That could change in 2026 under coach Mike McCarthy, but the league has clearly noticed what Steelers fans have been screaming about for over a year.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN published the rankings over the weekend, polling league personnel to assemble the list. Friermuth didn’t crack the top 10, but the AFC executive’s assessment was telling.
“He doesn’t belong in the top tier, but he’s a playmaker. When they’ve targeted him, he usually produces, but he doesn’t seem to ever be a focal point for that offense,” the executive said, via Fowler.
Pat Freiermuth 2025 stats
- 41 receptions.
- 486 receiving yards.
- 4 touchdowns.
The Arthur Smith problem
That quote could have come from any Steelers fan who watched the 2025 season. Under former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Freiermuth might as well have been invisible for long stretches. Whether it was Smith’s preference for running the offense through a tight end he had a prior relationship with from Atlanta and Tennessee, or simply the way Smith designed his scheme, Freiermuth was an afterthought for far too many snaps.
There were games where Freiermuth was essentially doing cardio. He’d line up, run his routes, and the ball would go elsewhere. The targets weren’t there. The designed touches weren’t there. For a player Pittsburgh invested in and then re-signed, the return on investment was baffling.
But when the game was on the line, when the Steelers needed a play in a high-leverage moment, Aaron Rodgers knew where to look. Think back to that Browns game in Week 17. The offense had done nothing all day. Then the 2-minute drill hit, and Rodgers marched down the field, throwing the ball up the seam to Freiermuth. That’s the player the Steelers have. That’s the player the rest of the league sees when they watch the tape.
Why 2026 could be different
The truth is, Freiermuth’s situation in 2025 was a scheme problem, not a talent problem. The AFC executive’s quote confirms what the film showed all season. When Pittsburgh targets him, he produces. The issue was always volume and usage.
With McCarthy now running the show and a new offensive philosophy taking shape, Friermuth should finally operate as the clear No. 1 tight end. Darnell Washington slots in as the complementary piece, a Robin to Freiermuth’s Batman, and the two of them together give Pittsburgh one of the more versatile tight end rooms in the AFC.
Freiermuth burst onto the scene as a rookie catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger. Since then, the Steelers have been waiting for him to take that next step and become a consistent weapon. The talent has never been in question. The opportunity has.
The bottom line
I believe 2026 is the year Freiermuth finally gets the usage to match his ability. If Freiermuth gets the targets he deserves, there’s no reason he can’t push toward that top-10 conversation by the time next year’s rankings roll around.
The rest of the league already sees what Freiermuth can do. Now it’s on the Steelers to actually let him do it.