AFC North tight end units ranked from worst to best in 2023
By Randy Gurzi
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
Top Players: Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Darnell Washington
One of the more underrated tight ends in the NFL has to be Pat Freiermuth. Entering his third season in the league, Freiermuth has put up some impressive numbers for the Pittsburgh Steelers since they added him as the No. 55 overall pick in 2021 out of Penn State. As a rookie, he had 60 receptions for 497 yards and seven touchdowns.
This past season, he had 63 catches for 732 yards but just two touchdowns — although there weren't as many touchdown passes to go around with Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett under center.
Even with that dip, he was still a highly productive pass catcher and finished seventh in the league according to PFF. While he was slightly ahead of David Njoku (who finished ninth), the Steelers don't surpass the Browns since the depth isn't close to as impressive.
Behind Freiermuth, the Steelers have Zach Gentry who had just 19 receptions for 132 yards. They did add Darnell Washington in the 2023 NFL Draft and he has a tremendous ceiling but there were concerns about his knee.
Perhaps he pushes them over the top but for now, he's a question mark which makes the Steelers top-heavy without proven depth. That lands them third in the division heading into the season.