Steelers tight end corps is suddenly a strength of the team

Pittsburgh Steelers tight ends Zach Gentry (81) and Pat Freiermuth (88) participate in organized team activities at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers tight ends Zach Gentry (81) and Pat Freiermuth (88) participate in organized team activities at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers quickly turned their tight end corps around over the past two years. Here’s what it could mean for the future of the team. 

Just two years ago, Pittsburgh’s tight end corps looked very different. Vance McDonald was coming off a down year in 2019 after an impressive 2018 campaign, and fans were excited about former Pro Bowler Eric Ebron joining the Steelers.

Sadly, things didn’t go according to plan. McDonald did next to nothing for the Steelers in 2020 with just 99 yards on 15 receptions and Ebron reverted back to the former first-round disappointment that we had seen for the majority of his career with the Lions and Colts.

The Steelers tight ends were getting by on their reputations alone, but the results on the field were not good. Thankfully, things have taken a 180-degree turn for the better since 2021.

Last year, Ebron was listed as Pittsburgh’s starting tight end to begin the season, but it didn’t take long for the coaching staff to realize just how much better the players were behind him. In 2021, the Steelers used their second-round draft choice on tight end Pat Freiermuth.

This was actually a somewhat unpopular choice at the time with center Creed Humphrey still ripe for the picking. While Humphrey has already established himself as one of the better centers in the league, Freiermuth could be next on his way to stardom.

Steelers tight ends were sneaky-good in 2021

Recently, Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus ranked his top-15 tight ends ahead of the 2022 NFL season. He had Freiermith ranked as his 11th-best tight end and admitted that he could approach tier 1 somewhere down the line.

As a rookie in 2021, Freiermith proved to be a reliable weapon in the passing game — particularly in the red zone — while also thriving as a blocker on the move. As a result, he graded out as the 9th-best tight end in the league last season, via PFF — ahead of players like Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, and T.J. Hockenson.

But Freiermuth wasn’t the only reason Steelers TE corps took a massive leap in just one year’s time. Former fifth-round pick, Zach Gentry, also had a sneaky-good season in 2021.

Gentry wasn’t heavily involved in the passing game (just 19 receptions for 167 yards), but his hands were very reliable when his number was called. Where he was really impressive, however, was as a blocker. At 6’8” and 265 pounds, the mammoth tight end bullied defenders as an in-line blocker and ultimately earned the 28th-best overall grade among tight ends this year.

As young players on their rookie contracts, it stands to reason that Freiermuth and Gentry should only continue to get better, and collectively, they are starting to turn into quite the tandem. Now the Steelers also added an H-back in Connor Heyward who could land the third tight end spot on the roster and be part of the plan moving forward.

The Steelers might not have the best tight end corps in the NFL, but it’s vastly improved from the group we saw just two years ago. If they continue to progress, this could prove to be one of the strongest TE units in the league.

Schedule