Which quality tight ends should Steelers pursue this offseason?

With impactful talents showing up in the tight end department, which players should the Steelers pursue this offseason?

Eric Ebron. That’s it. He’s all there is to the current lineup of noteworthy tight ends that help make up the entirety of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. And while he would hypothetically be enough by himself, why would you not want to add an extra tight end where one could be reliable, especially after four elite ones appear on the offseason market?

Snatching up a player for your team is not so black and white. An organization has to study and analyze the weapon in question to see if he is worthy of tagging along. An NFL franchise is not just for anyone, even more so when it holds the standards of Pittsburgh. So with that in mind, I figured that I would take it upon myself to judge the big men who either already are or soon will be off of any NFL rosters. Those men are Zach Ertz, Kyle Rudolph, Jared Cook, and Josh Hill. How many, if any, are worthy of being placed upon the Steelers offensive brigade? Let’s find out. Here are four tight ends that Pittsburgh should maybe pursue for the 2021 season.

Zach Ertz: Don’t pursue

Ertz is a “local” tight end who has been in trade talks for a while, but we are only just now seeing such discussions become more solidified. He is a Super Bowl champion and 3x Pro Bowl selection and has cemented himself as a go-to target on the passing game.

I have been a skeptic of the whole Zach Ertz to Pittsburgh idea ever since it started to gain traction. My reasoning for deeming him unworthy of the Steelers pursuing him still holds true now, and that is the fact that he is a target before a blocker. Ebron is all the receiving that Pittsburgh needs out of a tight end until further notice.

Sure, a TE needs to have some hands, but that is easily the most predominant feature that Ertz possesses, and subsequently what would make him more expensive than others of the same position. Speaking of his price, he is the only tight end within the aforementioned group available that is being traded. Therefore, the Steelers would have to give up some material for him, and that is one condition we are trying to avoid throughout this process altogether.