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Throughout the first couple weeks of the 2022 off-season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I will be going through each position group to determine where that group was at in 2021, and where they currently sit going into 2022.
As it stands today, the Steelers are expected to have ~$42.7 million in cap space based on a projected $208.2 million 2022 NFL salary cap figure. That leaves them with the most cap room heading into an off-season in over a decade, and is the 9th most in the NFL.
I took a look at the offensive line, quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs already (links to the other position groups will be at the bottom of each article), so now it is a time to look at the one position group that might be getting overlooked heading into the off-season, and that is the wide receivers.
Starter: Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth
Key Reserves: Zach Gentry
Depth: Kevin Rader
This is one of the few positions on the team that likely exceeded the expectations that were placed upon them by SteelerNation heading into the season. Freiermuth came in like he was a multi-year veteran, as he immediately had an impact in both the run game and as a receiver. His biggest impact as a receiver came in the red zone as he ended with 7 TDs on the year. Coming in as a 2nd round pick he was expected to contribute early in his career, but this was more than anyone could’ve asked for.
The incumbent starter in Ebron also had a decent year in the games he played. In previous years he had some issues with drops, but that issue appeared to be resolved for much of the season as he only had one drop across the 8 games he played in. Overall Ebron’s role was reduced to a complimentary pass catcher and someone the Steelers used to take advantage of mismatches. He was consistent in the role he played, which is all anyone really wanted to see.
The Steelers also played Gentry more as the year went on, and he held his own as a #2 blocking tight end. He was able to consistently take on defensive ends and linebackers in the run game without getting beat, and also provided extra time in the passing game staying in as a blocker. Gentry also impressed at times as a receiver, although he had minimal opportunities.
As a whole, there weren’t many complaints from this group throughout the year.
Under Contract: Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Kevin Rader
Futures Contracts: Jace Sternberger
Free Agents: Eric Ebron
This position group has close to a full room heading into the offseason, and likely doesn’t need significant additions to be a solid unit in 2022.
Freiermuth is likely going to be one of the focal points of the offense next season, as he is a complete tight end that also has tremendous run after the catch ability. There are some improvements he can make across the board however. Being a rookie he made a couple small mistakes lasts season, such as a poorly timed fumble against Detroit when trying to fight for extra yardage. He also needs to get stronger at the point of attack in the run game, as while he has managed to hold his own in this regard, there hasn’t been a whole lot of movement against stout run defenders. Big things to come from the second year tight end.
The rest of the group is complementary pieces that would likely fit into similar roles in 2022. Gentry’s play time should continue to increase as he does a good job in the run game which will free up other pieces and continue to open holes for Najee Harris. I do expect Gentry to be involved a little more in the passing game as a secondary option at tight end, as his size and strength is appealing in underneath routes.
Rader and Sternberger likely won’t see much playing time unless injuries hit, but both have some intriguing traits. Rader is a solid blocker and special teamer that could fill in for some situations without missing much, but the upside isn’t necessarily there for him to do much more than that. Sternberger is a very intriguing player, as he is a former 3rd round pick from the Green Bay Packers that prototypes to potentially fill Ebron’s old role as a move tight end. He won’t offer much as a blocker, but he could definitely become an asset in the passing game.
This group should have little worry heading into the season and should continue to improve as everyone in the group is still early in their career.
Ebron is the only free agent in this group, and it is unlikely they bring him back unless it is a late signing for depth purposes. Overall I don’t expect any high investment in this group in either the draft or free agency.
The team shouldn’t be opposed to bringing in a veteran free agent that can fill multiple holes as their group is still young, but I wouldn’t spend much more than $1-2 million a year on anyone. This might be the only position review I go through that I wouldn’t recommend adding someone significant.
High Dollar: CJ Uzomah, Robert Tonyan Jr., David Njoku
Non-High Dollar: Ricky Seals-Jones, Jacob Hollister, Jesse James
Early Picks: Trey McBride (Colorado State), Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin)
Late Picks: Cole Turner (Nevada), Peyton Hendershot (Indiana), Greg Dulcich (UCLA)
This room is pretty well set heading into 2022 and performed well last season. Overall they should definitely not feel a need to invest highly into the position this offseason, but don’t completely ignore it if the right opportunity presents itself.
Adding a solid veteran, maybe a Jesse James reunion *wink*, wouldn’t be a bad decision for a group of young guys. But don’t spend significant cap space right now when there are several other positions on the team.
Let us know below what you think of the Steelers tight end room as we head into the 2022 off-season!
#SteelerNation
Offensive Line Review
Quarterbacks Review
Wide Receivers Review
Running Backs Review
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
As it stands today, the Steelers are expected to have ~$42.7 million in cap space based on a projected $208.2 million 2022 NFL salary cap figure. That leaves them with the most cap room heading into an off-season in over a decade, and is the 9th most in the NFL.
I took a look at the offensive line, quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs already (links to the other position groups will be at the bottom of each article), so now it is a time to look at the one position group that might be getting overlooked heading into the off-season, and that is the wide receivers.
Steelers 2021 Tight Ends
Starter: Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth
Key Reserves: Zach Gentry
Depth: Kevin Rader
2021 Review
This is one of the few positions on the team that likely exceeded the expectations that were placed upon them by SteelerNation heading into the season. Freiermuth came in like he was a multi-year veteran, as he immediately had an impact in both the run game and as a receiver. His biggest impact as a receiver came in the red zone as he ended with 7 TDs on the year. Coming in as a 2nd round pick he was expected to contribute early in his career, but this was more than anyone could’ve asked for.
The incumbent starter in Ebron also had a decent year in the games he played. In previous years he had some issues with drops, but that issue appeared to be resolved for much of the season as he only had one drop across the 8 games he played in. Overall Ebron’s role was reduced to a complimentary pass catcher and someone the Steelers used to take advantage of mismatches. He was consistent in the role he played, which is all anyone really wanted to see.
The Steelers also played Gentry more as the year went on, and he held his own as a #2 blocking tight end. He was able to consistently take on defensive ends and linebackers in the run game without getting beat, and also provided extra time in the passing game staying in as a blocker. Gentry also impressed at times as a receiver, although he had minimal opportunities.
As a whole, there weren’t many complaints from this group throughout the year.
2022 Outlook
Under Contract: Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Kevin Rader
Futures Contracts: Jace Sternberger
Free Agents: Eric Ebron
This position group has close to a full room heading into the offseason, and likely doesn’t need significant additions to be a solid unit in 2022.
Freiermuth is likely going to be one of the focal points of the offense next season, as he is a complete tight end that also has tremendous run after the catch ability. There are some improvements he can make across the board however. Being a rookie he made a couple small mistakes lasts season, such as a poorly timed fumble against Detroit when trying to fight for extra yardage. He also needs to get stronger at the point of attack in the run game, as while he has managed to hold his own in this regard, there hasn’t been a whole lot of movement against stout run defenders. Big things to come from the second year tight end.
The rest of the group is complementary pieces that would likely fit into similar roles in 2022. Gentry’s play time should continue to increase as he does a good job in the run game which will free up other pieces and continue to open holes for Najee Harris. I do expect Gentry to be involved a little more in the passing game as a secondary option at tight end, as his size and strength is appealing in underneath routes.
Rader and Sternberger likely won’t see much playing time unless injuries hit, but both have some intriguing traits. Rader is a solid blocker and special teamer that could fill in for some situations without missing much, but the upside isn’t necessarily there for him to do much more than that. Sternberger is a very intriguing player, as he is a former 3rd round pick from the Green Bay Packers that prototypes to potentially fill Ebron’s old role as a move tight end. He won’t offer much as a blocker, but he could definitely become an asset in the passing game.
This group should have little worry heading into the season and should continue to improve as everyone in the group is still early in their career.
NFL Draft and Free Agency
Ebron is the only free agent in this group, and it is unlikely they bring him back unless it is a late signing for depth purposes. Overall I don’t expect any high investment in this group in either the draft or free agency.
The team shouldn’t be opposed to bringing in a veteran free agent that can fill multiple holes as their group is still young, but I wouldn’t spend much more than $1-2 million a year on anyone. This might be the only position review I go through that I wouldn’t recommend adding someone significant.
Potential Free Agent Targets
High Dollar: CJ Uzomah, Robert Tonyan Jr., David Njoku
Non-High Dollar: Ricky Seals-Jones, Jacob Hollister, Jesse James
Potential Draft Targets
Early Picks: Trey McBride (Colorado State), Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin)
Late Picks: Cole Turner (Nevada), Peyton Hendershot (Indiana), Greg Dulcich (UCLA)
Final Thoughts
This room is pretty well set heading into 2022 and performed well last season. Overall they should definitely not feel a need to invest highly into the position this offseason, but don’t completely ignore it if the right opportunity presents itself.
Adding a solid veteran, maybe a Jesse James reunion *wink*, wouldn’t be a bad decision for a group of young guys. But don’t spend significant cap space right now when there are several other positions on the team.
Let us know below what you think of the Steelers tight end room as we head into the 2022 off-season!
#SteelerNation
Offensive Line Review
Quarterbacks Review
Wide Receivers Review
Running Backs Review
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
