Steelers Now
After Donald Parham suffered a likely season-ending Achilles injury on Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers were reported to be talking about a possible trade for Jonnu Smith. Fourth-year tight end Connor Heyward isn’t sure there’s enough to go around for the Miami Dolphins’ Pro Bowl pass-catcher.
Pat Freiermuth paced the Steelers with 65 receptions last season. His 653 receiving yards are the most of any returning pass-catcher after George Pickens was shipped off last month. General manager Omar Khan acquired DK Metcalf before that.
“If that (trade) was to happen — and I don’t think it’s gonna happen — Pat’s here,” Heyward said after Wednesday’s OTA practice. “We have DK. That’s like having George and DK. You’ve gotta have one or (the other).
Heyward didn’t beat around the bush when asked if the tight ends have paid attention to the trade rumors.
“I mean, we all see it, but let’s be honest, it would be complicated having him and Pat,” Heyward said. “They’re kind of the same type of tight end. They both gotta have 100 balls a year thrown their way, so you’ve seen that. We all have produced — me, Darnell (Washington), and Pat. So if that was to happen, we’d welcome it. At the same time, we know Pat’s our guy right now.
“Our offense is gonna go through him, DK, Cal, and our running backs. When me and Darnell get in, we make the most of it. We know our role, and Pat is one of our major guys here. And not just here with the Steelers. Here in the city.”
Last season was the first in which Smith was targeted 100 times as a professional. He had career-highs in grabs (88), receiving yards (884), and touchdown catches (8). Smith played for Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in Atlanta the go-round before that.
Heyward and Washington had already been taking advantage of extra reps this week before Parham went down. Freiermuth has been slowed by food poisoning over the past two practices.
“I mean, that’s just how it is,” Heyward said. “If it’s camp, game, somebody goes down, you’ve got to know. You’ve gotta be ready. That’s professional football, and, especially with the Steelers, coaches always are big about opportunity. … I feel like, this year, with Donald or not, I was just coming in focused on whatever the coaches want me to do. I really don’t care. I just want to be out there and impact the team in any way.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Tight End Rips Idea of Jonnu Smith Trade
