Steelers' trade pickup ranks 41st out of 41 in key stat

Billy Heyen

•
Steelers' trade pickup ranks 41st out of 41 in key stat image

The Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to pull off an exciting trade just before the season.

They added tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins in a deal that also sent Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami and brought Jalen Rams ey to Pittsburgh.

Smith was the intriguing guy, though. How would he fit into the offense helmed by Aaron Rodgers and alongside fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Turns out, not well at all.

Smith ranks 41-out-of-41 among tight ends in defense-adjusted yards above replacement, essentially a catch-all stat that says Smith isn't performing better than anyone else at his position in the NFL.

"Jonnu Smith has only 26 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns this season," ESPN's Aaron Schatz writes. "He has dropped from 10.0 yards per reception to just 6.3. Smith doesn't have a single game this season with more than 30 receiving yards. The Steelers' offense is better than expected this season, 16th in the league with 23.6 points per game, but that's not because of Jonnu Smith."

MORE: Drake Maye has put up stats never before matched in NFL history

Smith used to be a yards-after-catch monster. Now, he's barely making anything happen.

It likely is a weird offense to be in, given that Pittsburgh is so invested in the tight end spot. In addition to Freiermuth, the Steelers have also mixed in Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward.

Smith is more of a RB/WR type than a true tight end, so maybe it's not their fault and he just hasn't found the right way to incorporate his game in Pittsburgh.

There is still time, but at the moment, the supposed-to-be-exciting Smith deal has simply been quite underwhelming.

More NFL news:

Senior Editor