Steelers Tight End Named Digest Player of the Week

Ahead of Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth’s season wasn’t going the way he expected. Freiermuth was only targeted 11 times and had eight receptions for the first five games of this season. That changed when the Steelers played the Bengals. He was targeted six times. He had five receptions for 111 yards in the game. Freiermuth also had two touchdowns, for 19 and 68 yards. Thursday marked the first two-touchdown game of his career. It was also his second 100-yard receiving game. 

Steelers Digest named Freiermuth their Player of the Week. After the game, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers praised Freiermuth. He said, “Pat’s a great player and hasn’t had a lot of looks. His playing time’s gone down. Yet, his attitude hasn’t. I think there’s a lot to be said for the professionalism he’s shown, especially the last couple of weeks.” Freiermuth showed the coaches and fans that he delivers when he’s called upon. He’s ready to take on a more prominent role. Freiermuth’s performance on Thursday is a promising sign for the Steelers' offense. 

The Steelers chose the Penn State tight end in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He had 60 receptions during his first season, which is the most by a rookie tight end in franchise history. During the 2022 season, Freiermuth was one of four tight ends in the NFL with at least five games of 75+ receiving yards. In 2023, he had his first 100-yard receiving game of his career in Week 12 at Cincinnati. During the 2024 season, Freiermuth caught a touchdown pass in three consecutive games from Weeks 13 to 15. He’s had the most receptions by a tight end in franchise history over his first four years in the NFL. Throughout his NFL career, he’s amassed 233 receptions, 2,377 yards, and 20 touchdowns.

Freiermuth played collegiate football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He played in 30 games for Penn State, starting in 26. In 2019, he was voted the team’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. He was named to the second-team All-Big Ten Team in 2019 and the First-team All-Big Ten Team in 2020. Freiermuth was also named the Big Ten Tight End of the Year that same year.