Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Steelers relied heavily on their tight ends during the 2024 season under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The team's active roster included four tight ends: Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, MyCole Pruitt, and Connor Heyward.

Pat Freiermuth led the team in receptions with 65 for 653 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns. Despite some stretches where he was not targeted as much, Freiermuth's performance placed him eighth among NFL tight ends in receptions and fourth in touchdowns.

The Steelers' tight end group made significant contributions with 96 catches for 933 yards and ten touchdowns. This marked an improvement from the previous year when they recorded just 62 catches for 536 yards and two scores.

Darnell Washington, in his second year, showed promise beyond his blocking skills by catching 19 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. He participated in nearly 52 percent of the offensive snaps due to his blocking abilities.

The team frequently employed formations with two or three tight ends on the field simultaneously. MyCole Pruitt played in about 24 percent of offensive snaps, while Connor Heyward participated in approximately 18.3 percent as a fullback/h-back. Pruitt faced some challenges with injuries that kept him out for five games.

Heyward also contributed significantly on special teams, matching Miles Killebrew with a team-leading 303 special teams snaps this season.

Freiermuth recently signed a contract extension last offseason, while Washington and Heyward are still on their rookie contracts. However, Pruitt is set to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts in mid-March.