The Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of fans happy when they selected Pat Freiermuth in the 2021 NFL Draft who very soon adopted the "MUUUUUTH!" chant amongst Steelers fans whenever he caught a ball. Of course the chant is a revamped version of Heath Miller's "HEEEAAATH!" and prior to Freiermuth, the fans were still chanting for Miller even years after his retirement. Freiermuth is the real deal when it comes to the tight end position and was seen as the second best at his position in the 2021 draft.
Despite the need for improvement and attention to the offensive line, the Steelers could not pass on Muth's ability and potential to ramp up the offense alongside fellow rookie Najee Harris. It didn't take Muth very long to make an impact on the offense and see a gradual increase in targets throughout the season despite entering a somewhat crowded tight end group with Eric Ebron and Zach Gentry.
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The size of the 23 year old speaks for itself and while the stats may not be there quite yet after one season, his role will get bigger next season with the presumed departure of Ebron. Regardless on who the Steelers turn to at quarterback next season, the targets are going to be prevalent for Muth considering he saw at least five targets in nine games this season along with seven touchdowns.
Even though the yards total was not overly impressive (497), there's no reason to believe Muth won't be an even bigger threat in open space as he continues to grow in the offense and gain more comfortability as soon as next season. Down the stretch of the season, the Steelers offense seemed to be using Muth much more frequently with defenses looking to bottle up Harris in the run game as much as possible. All signs are pointing for Muth to have a tremendous career and his production is poised to see a big increase next season.
What do you think of Pat Freiermuth going forward? Do you think he'll be the Steelers answer at tight end for the foreseeable future? Click to comment below!
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