Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth Focused on Avoiding the Sophomore Slump

[Steeler Nation]

When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted tight end Pat Freiermuth out of Penn State University with the 55th overall selection in last year’s NFL Draft, a lot of eyebrows were raised in regards to the pick. Rightfully so, because the Steelers had just signed fellow tight end Eric Ebron to a multi-year contract a year prior, and there were other holes to fill within the Steelers depth chart. Nevertheless, the 6’5″, 260 pound physical tight end heard his name called by Pittsburgh and was embraced by SteelerNation almost instantly.

Although, at first the original pick of Freiermuth might have raised some concerns, the rookie tight end was quick to give us fans many reasons to cheer. Freiermuth ended his rookie season by snagging 60 receptions for 497 yards, totaling 7 touchdowns (good for second among rookie receivers), and proved to be a reliable comfort blanket for future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throughout the season, something the organization had been missing since Heath Miller’s retirement back in 2016.






After many years of trying, it seems like the Steelers finally have their tight end of the future and will expect more of him as his career plays out. Freiermuth is going into his second season in the NFL and will look to avoid the “sophomore slump” that we always hear so much about throughout the league. Although next season will bring its own set of challenges, the Steelers will have a different franchise quarterback under center in 2022 for the first time in 18 seasons and will look to their playmakers in the passing game to make the transition easier. In an exit interview with Teresa Varley of Steelers.com, Freiermuth seemed to welcome the challenge that next season brings:

“I think going into every year is different. When you go into college as a freshman, you don’t really know what to expect or work on because you haven’t experienced anything. I know what to work on and know what to get better at on and off the field, as a leader and stuff like that. I’m excited to know specifically what to work at and specifically what I need to do to get better. I’m excited to attack that the best I can.”​

Freiermuth finished by stating possible areas in which we will see improvement in his game, specifically from 2021-2022. Freiermuth stated:

“I think with the year I had, teams are going to watch the short, intermediate routes with me — those flat balls and curls and stuff like that. I definitely have to get a little more comfortable and be asked to run downfield more and run those deeper routes. I think this offseason is big for me being able to showcase that I can do that and work on doing that.”​

Do you think Freiermuth will continue to improve in 2022? Even with a new QB? Comment below!

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[slashsteel]

Muuuuuuth.

 

[Atlsteelers]

Love having Muth and honestly was excellent value in the 2nd but still wish we would have taken Humphrey.