The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offense thrived under the iconic Ben Roethlisberger . During his tenure, the Steelers won 67% of their games with him as the starter, amassing 165 wins, 81 losses and one tie. Roethlisberger completed 64.
4% of his passes, threw for 64,088 yards, 418 touchdowns and had 211 interceptions. Since Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers' offense has faced significant challenges. In the 2023 season, their struggles reached a point where they made an unusual mid-season decision to fire a coach.
Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada was dismissed following a dismal performance against the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers are now looking forward to a fresh start under new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith . There’s a renewed energy on the offensive side of the ball.
Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is particularly excited about the change, anticipating more opportunities as Smith is known for involving tight ends in the offense. In an interview with Rich Walsh on Sunday, Freiermuth discussed how he is stepping up as a leader. He believes he is becoming more comfortable within the offense, especially from a leadership perspective.
"I'm trying to get out of my shell a little bit," Freiermuth said. "I think the first couple years I was a little quiet, not really kind of myself, but now just kind of growing up. We're a young offense and just trying to bring the team together on the offensive side of the ball, and just trying to organize things.
” Freiermuth believes a major issue within the offense has been the lack of leadership. With Roethlisberger as the quarterback, the team's leadership was clear. Freiermuth had the luxury of catching passes from Roethlisberger during his rookie season, during which he scored seven touchdowns.
In the two seasons without Roethlisberger, Freiermuth only managed to score two touchdowns each year. Freiermuth is confident in his ability to step up as a leader in the 2024 season, but he emphasizes that he is not alone in this effort. Najee Harris , along with new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, are also stepping up as leaders, according to Freiermuth.
“I think when Ben left, obviously that was our main guy on offense, our leader who we looked up to. Missing that for the past couple years. So just trying to get guys like Najee [Harris], myself, the new quarterbacks, just guys bringing each other up, hanging out, getting to know each other outside of football.
" The energy in Pittsburgh is very exciting. The offense has been the Steelers' Achilles heel lately, but this offseason, it seems Pittsburgh has worked hard to address those issues. The team has struggled on offense since Roethlisberger retired, not just in terms of production but also in leadership.
The Steelers' defense boasts plenty of leaders and has helped carry Tomlin to winning regular seasons. However, the pressure is on in 2024 for Tomlin and Pittsburgh to end their playoff drought. With Freiermuth, Harris, and others stepping up as leaders, the outlook for this revamped Steelers offense is optimistic.
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth Likely To Be Part Of Pittsburgh's Future Freiermuth is entering the final year of his rookie deal and will become a free agent after the 2024 season. Pundits believe the Steelers will extend his contract before the season starts. While Freiermuth hasn't fully lived up to the hype of his draft status, much of it hasn’t been his fault.
The Steelers are confident he will be their star tight end for years to come, and his new leadership role is an exciting prospect for Steeler Nation. Fans will keep their eyes open to see if an extension with Freiermuth gets done before the 2024 season begins. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.
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