The Pittsburgh Steelers already have the groundwork for their game plan against the Cleveland Browns... and it's going to include a heavy dose of Darnell Washington. The big tight end and 2023 third-round pick out of Georgia was heavily used in Pittsburgh's win over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin before the bye week.
In Week 4, Washington was on the field for 48 snaps. Before this, he didn't play more than 26 snaps in a game in the first three weeks of the season. The heavy-package formula finally led to rushing success on the ground, and head coach Mike Tomlin wants to keep it going.
When speaking with the media ahead of the Steelers' Week 6 contest against the Cleveland Browns, Tomlin admitted that heavy personnel will be used frequently, namely Washington, against Myles Garrett and Cleveland's defense.
Interestingly, Tomlin also noted that, against 4-3 teams like the Browns, 'it's not realistic' to ask someone like Pat Freiermuth or Connor Heyward to block Myles Garrett.
These comments—along with the minimal usage of Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith in Week 4—already have some fans questioning the Smith trade and if there's enough opportunity to go around at the position. And with Washington finally carving out a bigger role, perhaps one tight end could be on the move.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could trade TE Pat Freiermuth before the NFL deadline
If there's one thing we know about Arthur Smith, it's that he loves tight ends. Because of this, the Pittsburgh Steelers can't have too many good players at the position. However, Smith and Freiermuth are greatly cutting into each other's snap counts and production, and this might not end well.
In the Week 4 win against the Vikings before Pittsburgh's Week 5 bye, Freiermuth and Smith each played 15 snaps or fewer. In comparison, Washington played 48 snaps, and Connor Heyward played 16 snaps in more of an H-back role. Even backup offensive lineman Spencer Anderson earned 19 snaps as a tight end-eligible.
The lack of involvement on offense led to microscopic production for Freiermuth and Smith. Smith earned six yards on three targets while Freiermuth didn't see so much as a single target in the win against Minnesota.
This is not something he's going to be okay with for long.
After earning 60-plus receptions in three of his first four NFL seasons, Freiermuth has a mere seven catches entering Week 6 for just 65 yards and has failed to catch a touchdown. Despite being in the prime of his NFL career in Year 5, his once-promising career is slipping away before our eyes.
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Though the Steelers handed Freiermuth a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension during the 2024 offseason, they may already be open to trading their former starting tight end. Quite frankly, the production and usage do not match the contract, and it might already be time to move on.
The good news is that Pittsburgh has minimal guaranteed money attached to Freiermuth's deal. If they were to trade him before the NFL deadline in November, the Steelers would take a $2.1 million dead money hit, but would save $10.785 million in salary cap space, per Over The Cap.
Some tight-end-needy teams could be in the market for an upgrade, and Freiermuth would fit the bill as a respectable option. In exchange, the Steelers could ask for a role player at a position of need (perhaps a wide receiver), or they could simply trade Freiermuth for added draft capital in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Either way, Mike Tomlin's comments suggest that Freiermuth's role isn't going to expand anytime soon. The Steelers could either get 0-3 receptions from Freiermuth per game in a part-time role (and at a steep price tag), or they could send him packing.