Moving on from Pat Freiermuth might've seemed crazy at the start of the season, but it's not too outlandish now. The veteran tight end used to be the top player at his position for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he has struggled to find a role on offense through the first four games. Perhaps the bye week will allow him to recover and find a groove once the team returns to play in Week 6.
It has been a disappointing start to the campaign for Freiermuth, and it'll be tough for him to rebound with limited opportunities. Pittsburgh has a loaded group at the tight end position on the roster. Both Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington have played significant roles on offense. Freiermuth has seemed to take a back seat to those two this season, which is troublesome.
Sending out the former star player of the Steelers would likely draw significant criticism from their fans.
They love this player, and it would take a significant trade for them to accept this potential deal. General Manager Omar Khan remains in significant trade rumors as the deadline approaches. Freiermuth could be someone Khan considers moving if the right offer comes across his desk.
Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan could trade Pat Freiermuth to boost his roster
Don't expect any imminent trade, as moving Freiermuth would shake up the locker room. They added Jonnu Smith to the position this offseason, and he could help fill the pass-catching void. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith appears more comfortable with Smith anyway. It's a rich talent pool of tight ends, and they could afford to lose one of those players to upgrade a weakness.
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No one expected Khan to trade Minkah Fitzpatrick this past offseason, but he did. He is willing to make whatever deal makes sense for the Steelers. Their roster could use some upgrades to varying positions this season. Those include safety, linebacker, offensive line, and wide receiver. While some of those needs are more urgent than others, Khan continues to search for solutions.
Freiermuth is considered to be one of the better tight ends in the NFL, and Pittsburgh loves him. Parting ways would be difficult, but if it brought back a similarly talented player who could help address one of their weaknesses, it wouldn’t sting as much.
The times of hanging onto a player because the fans love him are over, and Khan must do his best roster management to help the Steelers win games.
Ideally, the best outcome of trading Freiermuth would be landing a solid receiver to help DK Metcalf, or a safety who can finally replace Fitzpatrick. They have talented players to replace Freiermuth this season, and they don't seem prepared to use three tight ends at a time. Roles are starting to shrink, and that could force Khan into making some brutal decisions.