The Pittsburgh Steelers were on an aggressive tirade throughout the 2025 offseason as General Manager Omar Khan made a handful of trades in order to fill out the roster for the 2025 season. Those trades included acquiring DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins, which are two trades that were necessary for Pittsburgh to make. Another trade with the Dolphins was acquiring tight end Jonnu Smith, even though Pittsburgh already had a pretty crowded tight end room. He is a great player to add to the roster, but it was hard to originally tell how he would be used.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith lines up opposite of Nick Herbig as the two participate in the team's annual Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe, PA.
Smith was coming off one of the best seasons of his career with the Dolphins as he had recorded 88 receptions for nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns. He is clearly a decent weapon for an offense, but Pittsburgh has not quite figured out how to use him. The franchise has had trouble getting anybody involved in the passing game. Fans have been clamoring to see more from second-year wide receiver Roman Wilson, but he is doing all he can with the opportunities he is being given. Insider Gerry Dulac spoke about Smith on WDVE and he believes the blame should be more on players like Smith.
"The bigger issue, I think, is the lack of productivity from Calvin Austin Ill," Dulac said. "If you go back the last three or four games, Roman Wilson has been a lot more productive than him. He actually has a couple touchdowns, which you can't say about any of the other wide receivers on this team. I'm not gonna sit here and diss Roman Wilson when there are other guys who are even less productive. And you can start with Jonnu Smith, too. Where is this guy who's $10-12 million a year who caught 85 balls last year? Where is this guy in their attack? Nowhere."
Calvin Austin III has seemingly taken a step back in 2025, while Wilson is making the most of his opportunities and is clearly the best wide receiver when it comes to getting separation. He hasn't had any big games just yet, but he has shown considerable progress that should leave the fan base feeling somewhat optimistic. Smith is a different story as Pittsburgh just has no clue how to use him.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (81) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Smith has caught just 29 passes for under 200 yards and two touchdowns. He has been a reliable target when the ball is thrown his way, but he has not been very involved in the offensive scheme as a whole. Both Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth are better blockers in the run game, and both of those tight ends can also do some work after the ball gets in their hands. Smith is probably the fastest, and he likely runs the most "receiver-like" routes amongst that position group, but that hasn't proved to help him in 2025.
Hopefully Smith can get more involved moving forward. Pittsburgh's offense is going to need a boost if the franchise wants to be able to keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, especially with the daunting schedule Pittsburgh has coming up.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Jonnu Smith runs with the ball during a home game against the Green Bay Packers in 2025.
Steelers May Have Made A Bad Move Acquiring Jonnu Smith
Smith was a good addition in Pittsburgh in theory, but things just haven't gone great. Thankfully the trade still worked out for the Steelers as the team still acquired Ramsey and a draft pick, but the Smith part of the deal could show some improvement. Pittsburgh also extended Smith after the trade was completed, so he is under contract in Pittsburgh through the 2026 season. He carries a cap hit of nearly $11 million in 2026, which is a good reason for the coaching staff to consider getting him more involved moving forward.
What do you think of Smith so far in 2025? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
