The Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receivers room was a total disaster, plain and simple.
For the second straight campaign, the Steelers had a room that had a clear-cut No. 1 option (it was George Pickens in 2024 and DK Metcalf in 2025) and very little behind him.
Knowing that, we expected to see the team utilize its tight ends more. We know Pat Freiermuth is an asset in the passing game, as is Jonnu Smith.
However, despite their need for other pass-catchers to step up, the Steelers barely utilized both of their tight ends, which was just perplexing, to say the least.
Freiermuth played 51% of snaps and was targeted just 54 times, which he turned into 41 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns.
In the most important game of the season on Monday, Freiermuth saw just three targets and finished with one reception for 18 yards, which came in the fourth quarter.
"Yeah, I don't know," Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said when asked why the tight end wasn't used more. "I don't have a good answer for that."
Meanwhile, Smith was targeted 54 times and recorded 38 catches for 222 yards and two scores on 52% of snaps.
Pat Freiermuth should demand a trade
While we could see the Steelers unloading both tight ends this offseason, there is a better chance we see Freiermuth demand a trade out of Pittsburgh, and he'd likely draw much more interest than Smith, who is more of a cut candidate.
To be quite frank, we wouldn't blame Freiermuth one bit if he demanded a trade.
What happened to him this season was malpractice, whether you want to blame it on offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Rodgers, or both, and that's especially true when you consider how bad things were with Pittsburgh's pass-catcher group.
When the Steelers did remember Freiermuth was still on the team, the veteran would make big plays, just like he did on Monday night when his 18-yard grab gave Pittsburgh a much-needed spark in the fourth quarter.
Players demanding a trade is often considered a bad look, but in Freiermuth's case, absolutely nobody in the Steelers' fan base would blame him one bit.
Free Muth.
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