Steelers Now
A former defender of the Pittsburgh Steelers thinks the team needs to get one of its tight ends more involved before it’s too late.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have one of the deepest tight end rooms in the NFL, but some think that could soon become a problem for them.
Former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke believes the team needs to get tight end Pat Freiermuth more involved or things could get ugly in a hurry.
“They’re paying those guys too much money,” Hoke said on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan. “I mean, they’re paying Freiermuth I think $10 million per year, so they’ve got to get him in the game. Him to play what, 15-16 percent of the snaps? Freiermuth’s not gonna be happy, so they’ve got to find a way to get him involved in the offense.”
Freiermuth has had a very disappointing start to his 2025 campaign. Through the first four games of the season, he has recorded just seven catches for 65 yards and zero touchdowns, putting him on pace to have the worst statistical season of his NFL career.
That’s not anywhere close to the type of production the Steelers are paying him for. Last offseason, the team signed Freiermuth to a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension, which puts him among the league’s top 10 highest-paid tight ends.
However, Pittsburgh hasn’t been doing its best to maximize Freiermuth’s value, either. In Week 4, Freiermuth logged just 15 snaps while backup tight ends Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward combined for 64.
That could have just been a product of the team’s game plan, and it worked out as it defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-21, but it doesn’t fully explain Freiermuth’s lack of production the other three weeks of the season.
Only time will tell if the Freiermuth will turns things around, but if he can’t, he may just force himself to become a trade deadline candidate in a crowded tight end room.
Many Steelers fans probably wouldn’t love such a move, but people like Hoke don’t see another scenario playing out if things don’t start clicking on offense.
A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Freiermuth has 227 receptions for 2,255 yards and 18 touchdowns in his professional career.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steeler Pleads With Team to Get TE More Involved
