Steelers' Mason Rudolph Announces Primary Goal For Offense: "Absolutely Have To Get Him More Involved"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been streaky and inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball in 2025. Some of that has had to do with Aaron Rodgers missing Pittsburgh's most recent game and Mason Rudolph starting in his place, but the unit looked relatively similar no matter who was under center. The run game works well, but the passing game has struggled as the route schemes seem ineffective and Pittsburgh is consistently relying on the wrong players to make plays. Pittsburgh has some weapons on offense, yet not all of them are being used properly.

A constant criticism of Pittsburgh's offense during the 2025 season has been the usage of tight end Pat Freiermuth. The tight end has been less involved, and his usage has been criticized ever since his second season in the league. This now has to do with the addition of Jonnu Smith and the emergence of Darnell Washington as a threat in the passing game, but Freiermuth should still be seeing more targets and snaps. 

Rudolph recently spoke with the media about the tight end and how the offense needs to do more to get him involved.

"We've got to do it," Rudolph said. "He's a special player, and he's great over the middle of the field. That's where he's always been at his best. You saw with the choice route there at the end that he's got a good feel. He's got a good spatial awareness. We absolutely have to get him more involved."

The tight end is having his least productive season of his career in which he has been fully healthy. Through 11 games, he has caught just 26 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. A good chunk of that production came in one game against the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the 2025 season where the tight end recorded over 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Freiermuth is seeing the field less than ever as he is consistently playing around 50 percent of the snaps or less. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has been known to utilize tight ends a ton, but that has not really benefitted Freiermuth. He had a great year with Arthur Smith in 2024 as he caught seven touchdowns and recorded over 650 yards, but that has changed in 2025.

Rudolph found Freiermuth in the end zone near the end of the game against the Chicago Bears in Week 12, but that was just one of his three targets in the game. He has just one game with five or more targets during the 2025 season, and that happened to be his best game of the year as referenced earlier. When the offense gets the ball to Freiermuth, good things tend to happen.

Steelers Could Use Pat Freiermuth To Fix Offense's Biggest Problem

Aside from Freiermuth's usage, another major gripe the fan base has with the offense is how little the middle of the field is used in the passing game. This is an area that Freiermuth could thrive, as all of the best tight ends in the league are able to take advantage of the middle of the field. Passing over the middle is often considered one of the more dangerous parts of the field to attack through the air. This is where linebackers and safeties work, and coverage in this area can get a little murky. Freiermuth could be an asset to Pittsburgh here. The coaching staff just has to allow him to do so.

What do you think about Freiermuth's usage in 2025 thus far? Should he start seeing more targets, especially in the middle of the field? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media pages!

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