3 Steelers players poised to breakout for team during 2022

Steelers Freiermuth

My personal favorite pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Pat Freiermuth had a great rookie season despite playing a position that is typically hard to transition to. Tight ends typically have a tough rookie year before they truly take on a role as a starter. Freiermuth had no such issues, as he quickly became a physical presence for this offense and a talented scorer.

As I wrote about earlier, tight ends typically do far better as sophomores than rookies. That isn’t the only reason to think that Freiermuth can breakout though. The Steelers lost a lot of receiving talent this offseason, and while more speed and big-play ability were added in the draft, the team is still lacking the physical presence that JuJu Smith-Schuster provided.

Freiermuth should slot in well there, as he can become the safe and physical presence over the middle of the field. Expect to see him become a safety valve for whoever is throwing passes. As well, he can and should continue to be a red-zone threat. There is a lot to like about Freiermuth’s fit in his second season with the Steelers. Don’t be surprised to see him have a huge season in 2022.

With the Steelers new roster relatively set, there should be some players who breakout on this new team. Some of these players are in better positions than before while others are likely to naturally develop as they get more used to the league. Keep these three names in mind as potential breakout candidates for the team in 2022.