Tight ends look for bigger role in Arthur Smith’s offense

The quest to replace Diontae Johnson’s production might extend beyond the players the Pittsburgh Steelers signed in free agency.

It might not be confined to a third-round pick — as Johnson was in 2019 — being asked to make up the difference.

It might not be limited to any wide receiver — new or old — on the roster.

Don’t discount the tight end becoming a bigger part of Arthur Smith’s offense and absorbing some of the sting from the trade that sent Johnson to the Carolina Panthers.

“I hope so,” fourth-year tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “I’m looking forward to being able to pick up the extra yardage that is there. I’m excited for the opportunity.”

Johnson’s numbers in his final season with the Steelers were hardly flashy. He totaled 717 yards on 51 receptions, but he did score five touchdowns. In the three previous seasons, Johnson averaged 988 receiving yards, 94 receptions and five scores.

Considering that the Steelers added a rookie third-round pick in Roman Wilson and veteran journeymen Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins in free agency, it’s not a stretch to suggest the tight end group might be tasked with helping pick up the slack.

“It’s going to be a team effort. It won’t be just the tight ends making up for that void,” said veteran tight end MyCole Pruitt, who joined the Steelers in free agency. “But I feel like with the room we have, we have a lot of versatility there. We bring our own flavor to the game, and we’re all going to be big contributors.”

Pruitt is a newcomer to a position group that returns Freiermuth, multi-purpose role player Connor Heyward, second-year blocker Darnell Washington and former practice squad player Rodney Williams. Pruitt spent the past two seasons in Atlanta, where Smith was the head coach for three years. He also played in Tennessee when Smith was the Titans offensive coordinator. When Smith was hired to run the Steelers offense, Pruitt was quick to follow him to another destination.

“We mesh well together,” Pruitt said.

Early returns at organized team activities indicate other tight ends are meshing well with Smith’s system, too.

“They are moving us all around, and we’ve been heavily dependent on tight ends and where we line up,” Freiermuth said. “It’s been awesome for us.”

The tight end was an afterthought in the Steelers offense last season, and some of that had to do with Freiermuth missing five games because of injury. He started just nine out of 17 games. Steelers tight ends combined for 93 targets, the sixth fewest in the NFL. Freiermuth led the way with 47, and Heyward had 34.

Contrast that to the Falcons, who, in Smith’s final season, finished third in tight end targets with 174. The Falcons not only used multiple tight ends, they moved them around in the formation.

“It’s a role that has a lot of variety in it,” Pruitt said when asked to explain how Smith utilizes his tight ends. “We can be lined up anywhere on the field to try to exploit any mismatches we can get out of the defense. We use a lot of tight end personnel, from 11, 12, 13. There are lot of us on the field, and I think that will benefit our offense a lot.”

Freiermuth has found himself lining up outside the tackles, in the slot and sometimes out wide.

“He’s putting us all over the field,” he said. “We’re getting comfortable running the routes and catching balls out there. It has been an adjustment, but it’s been really smooth.”

Heyward has lined up at tight end, H-back and fullback during OTAs.

“I feel like everybody’s role has changed with this offense,” he said. “There is a lot of tight ends, a lot of usage of receivers, fullbacks and quarterback mobility. It’s a change for everybody, but it’s a good change.”

When healthy in the 2021 and ‘22 seasons, Freiermuth filled a bigger role in the Steelers offense as did the tight end position overall. He caught 123 passes combined in those two seasons for 1,229 yards. Not coincidentally, the Steelers ranked No. 4 in tight end targets in 2022 after being No. 12 in 2021.

“We have a lot of ways to get the tight ends involved,” Freiermuth said. “Obviously, a lot of teams have the same formations, but we have a lot of complex ways to get into it: motions, shifts, ways to confuse the defense. We’re always on a rhythm and timing. It keeps the defense honest.”

And the tight ends are involved more than they were a year ago in Matt Canada’s final season calling plays.

“At first, there were some bumps learning it,” Heyward said, “but you can see everything start to make sense, and all of us are starting to get on the same page.”