This is the seventh in a series on the Steelers' roster as the team prepares to report to training camp at Saint Vincent College July 23. Today: Tight end
Tight ends: Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, JJ Galbreath
This position, along with cornerback, got a major upgrade recently with the Steelers' acquisition of both tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey from Miami.
Smith, 30, was voted to his first Pro Bowl last season when he caught a career-high 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns on 111 targets.
Smith essentially served as Miami's No. 3 – or sometimes No. 2, depending on injuries – receiving option behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, so he's a very capable receiving option.
It also reunited Smith with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, whom he played for two seasons in Tennessee and one in Atlanta.
In those three seasons, Smith combined to catch 126 passes for 1,469 yards and 14 touchdowns.
That total included a 50-catch, 582-yard season in Atlanta, where fellow tight end Kyle Pitts also caught more than 50 passes and the two combined for 103 receptions, 1,249 yards and six touchdowns with lesser quarterback play than the Steelers will have with Aaron Rodgers.
That's significant because Arthur Smith clearly wants to use his tight ends.
The Steelers led the NFL last season with 163 snaps of 13 personnel, which has three tight ends on the field. They also heavy on two-tight end packages, using that grouping 25 percent of the time. Essentially, they played 40 percent of their offensive snaps with multiple tight ends on the field.
After getting just 89 targets as a group in 2023, Steelers tight ends caught 96 passes for 933 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, becoming a much bigger part of the offense in Smith's first season as offensive coordinator.
Pat Freiermuth led the team with 65 catches, recording 653 yards and a team-best seven touchdown catches. He did so on just 78 targets, proving to be highly efficient.
Considering how well Rodgers has worked with tight ends over his 20 NFL seasons, Freiermuth promises to have another strong season in 2025.
With the trade of George Pickens to the Cowboys following the NFL Draft, Freiermuth and Smith could be counted on to give the Steelers valuable pass-catching options outside of offseason acquisition DK Metcalf.
Darnell Washington blossomed into a valuable two-way weapon in his second NFL season.
The 2023 third-round draft pick became a bigger threat in the passing game, catching 19 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown, while also proving to be one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.
As he continues to mature, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound tight end could become even more of a weapon, something to which Rodgers alluded at minicamp.
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"I like the opportunity to work with all the guys in the tight end room, but there's a lot of guys with different skill sets," Rodgers said. "I told Darnell I haven't had a tight end like him since Marcedes (Lewis). And Marcedes, all-time great. Darnell is like a young Marcedes. Able to do things in the passing game, dominate the line of scrimmage."
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Washington is 6-foot, 230-pound tight end/fullback Connor Heyward.
Heyward wasn't utilized as much as a pass catcher in 2024 as he had been in his first two seasons, but remains a valuable matchup problem for opposing teams.
He also was among the Steelers' leaders in special teams snaps last season, proving to be a valuable member of that group, as well.
The Steelers signed veteran Donald Parham at the end of the 2024 season to provide competition in the room, but he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in OTAs, improving the odds for undrafted rookie and South Dakota star JJ Galbreath to win a spot at least on the practice squad.
Galbreath (6-4, 240 pounds) caught 32 passes for 469 yards and four touchdowns in 2024 for South Dakota, earning FCS All-America status.
