An early Steelers 53-man roster prediction before training camp

TE (3): Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth, Kevin Rader

In a perfect world, the Steelers would still add another capable tight end on the cheap such as Jesse James to give the team a capable group here, but the selection of Pat Freiermuth will likely lead to him looking for work elsewhere. That said, this position certainly got stronger and more stable at the conclusion of this draft.

Eric Ebron will resume his role as a starter, and he should be the primary receiving threat out of this group this season. Based on how he structured his contract to void after this season, this will likely be his last year with the team. Freiermuth will be the top reserve and should see a preference in heavier sets and even in traditional two tight end sets. Long term, he should be viewed as the starter.

That leaves the last spot on the roster open, and while the team has a draft pick invested in Zach Gentry, I can’t see him beating out Kevin Rader. Rader is the better blocker and special teams player by far, which gives him value as the third tight end. Gentry never developed much into a receiving threat and his blocking was never anything better than average. Rader seems like the better fit as the third tight end.