Steelers should give TE Jesse James a call before training camp

The Steelers could use some assistance at tight end even after spending a second-round pick on Pat Freiermuth in the NFL Draft. 

When I look at some of the teams around the league over the past five or six years, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of some of their tight end situations. The Chiefs and 49ers have the two most dynamic tight ends in the game with Travis Kelce and George Kittle, while the Raiders have an impressive pairing of Darren Waller and Foster Moreau. Even the Eagles one-two punch of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert has been fun to watch over the past few seasons.

When is the last time we could claim that the Steelers have had dominant tight end play? This is a position that has been lacking since the retirement of Heath Miller in 2015. While elite tight ends are hard to come by, Pittsburgh has had a hard enough struggle just trying to find quality depth.

Vance McDonald had a solid season in 2018, but he’s been often injured and played quite poorly over his past two seasons before retiring this year. Likewise, Eric Ebron has fallen short of expectations when the Steelers signed him. He’s good, but unreliable as a receiver and his blocking is atrocious.

Pat Freiermuth should give this unit an immediate boost in 2021, but he is still quite raw and is recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered early in the college season last year. The Steelers could still use some depth at that end, and Jesse James is ripe for the picking.

Why Jesse James should re-join the Steelers

Even with the addition of Freiermuth in the second round of the NFL Draft this year, James and the Steelers make a ton of sense together. No, Pittsburgh would not be getting a top player at the position, and they are still lacking that elite opinion. However, what could make this unit ‘special’ is the Steelers could have terrific tight end depth for the first time in forever.

Going from Ebron and McDonald in 2020 to Freiermuth, Ebron, and James in 2021 is quite an improvement. Most of the time, it wasn’t even worth the roster spot for Pittsburgh to dress a third tight end last season. Even their top players weren’t very good, as both Ebron and McDonald graded out among the worst tight ends in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

While the Steelers could technically get by with Freiermuth and Ebron, adding a veteran like Jesse James would give them security and an extra capable player at the position. Not only does James have starting experience for Pittsburgh in the event of an injury to Ebron or Freiermuth, but he’s also a capable run blocker, and the Steelers could use him as such.

Though James earned a pretty penny in Detriot, he was recently released by the Lions, and the Steelers may be able to bring him in for close to the veteran minimum.

I’m not the biggest Jesse James fan in the world, and I would hope that even if he’s signed that he wouldn’t have to see the field often. Still, he’s night and day better than players like Zach Gentry or Kevin Rader, and he could give the Steelers some much-needed security at the position this year.