My thoughts on our roster..... te's

The team position, has been criminally under used in recent seasons...... that changed a bit this yr, although, it still needs improvement..
There is no reason for our te's not to be major weapons, so let's take a look


Patrick Freiermuth ---- had a resurgence season overall offensively... a few uncharacteristic drops, but moved the chains and got into the endzone , leading the team...
A willing blocker, but needs to work on his technique.... it's a bit of a disappointment that his blocking hasn't improved yet, and I'm not sure that it will at this point... for now, at least, he is still an offensive weapon that needs to be accounted for

Darnell Washington ---- mountain of a te, who could probably be used as an emergency ot.. highly athletic and can move the chains when used and is a load to bring down.... therein lies the problem... he's not used nearly enough, especially in the red zone.... he's not the 1st red wood that we've had at the position, and none of them have been used in the red area, which is starting to look like a coaching issue.... used mostly as a blocker and absolutely needs to work on his route running, but still needs to be used more just to keep defenses honest... still has a high ceiling though and it will be interesting to see what comes next for him


Mycole Pruitt --- signed strictly to make Arthur Smith happy... very seldom used.... is an above average athlete and a capable blocker, but i don't see him on the roster for more than another season

Connor Heyward ---- converted from fb... has very sticky hands, but not much of a blocker for the position and very undersized.... really needs to be placed back at fb, but then again, we really don't use the position... this was a down yr for Heyward and seemed to fall out of favor with the coaches due to some head scratching penalties...... not sure what his future is in Pittsburgh..... he may get cut, or he may stick just to keep his brother happy... the only way he has any real career here though would be to move back to fb and actually get usage there



Next up: O-line

 

I think Washington is playing too heavy to be nimble enough to be much more than a check down option.

That official weight of 265 lbs is laughable. He's probably 290 lbs+. I'm not saying he's lazy, they probably want him at that weight for blocking purposes.

 

in 2023 Heyward had 23 catches.

Washington this year - the last 6 games = TWO catches. that is a waste. He averaged 10 plus yards a catch for 2024.

so tired of third and 4 and throwing a 40 yard sideline jump ball - very low percentage play.

 

Could we just go with Washington and trade muth for another needed position. His blocking sucks and is a problem. Radical but desperate times call for radical moves.

 

Short yardage package with 2TEs on the same side, Heyward at FB, Warren at RB, Fields at QB. GP opposite the TEs to keep 2 defenders on that side.


It's old school football but has been a rather successful alignment over the years. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.