Steelers’ Best Option To Replace Jonnu Smith Is Hiding In Plain Sight

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have some money to play with once the legal tampering period begins prior to the new league year. General Manager Omar Khan will have the flexibility to get aggressive if he needs to be, something that will help the front office retool the roster. On Wednesday night, the team added to that financial wiggle room when it was reported that tight end Jonnu Smith is being released by the organization. He spent just one year in the Steel City, and most of his time was spent clogging up the offense with Pat Freiermuth oddly on the sideline.

With Mike McCarthy taking over as the franchise's new head coach, the focus is expected to be on the wide receiving corps, as it has been throughout the Pittsburgh native's career as the leader of any locker room and offense. This is why it made little to no sense keeping both Smith and Freiermuth on the roster. Albeit an expected move, it confirms what a lot of Steelers fans have been longing for.

This transaction doesn't mean that Pittsburgh is all set at the position, however. The strong one-two punch now consists of Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, but free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft could provide unique opportunities to bolster the collective. This is what many are probably thinking, but the solution is actually so much more simple, and cheap.

Connor Heyward has established himself as one of the better special teams players in the AFC, and losing him in free agency would certainly be a blow to that unit. Additionally, he has offensive experience as a hybrid player, who even acted as the Steelers' tush-push specialist in 2025. Re-signing him is step one to fortifying the group, and then there's someone who is already in the building who makes sense to take over the third or fourth role on the depth chart.

JJ Galbreath was signed to a reserve/futures contract by the Steelers in January and there's a real possibility that Khan and Andy Weidl have convinced McCarthy that he can be a solid addition to the offense. When given the opportunity in training camp back in 2025, he showed signs of being a formidable tight end. During his college days at the University of South Dakota, he hauled in 93 passes for 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns throughout his career.

The Steelers have way too many other needs to try and get cute with the tight end position. The top two are set in stone with Freiermuth and Washington, and two familiar faces are right there in the building to round out the room. Galbreath is under contract, so all Pittsburgh has to do is given Heyward a relatively respectable deal. This might be on the horizon and get done before free agency begins.

Galbreath was an undrafted free agent back in 2025 and deserves an opportunity. Sometimes, roster decisions don't need to be thought about too intensely. This is one of those areas that the Steelers have covered if they stay the course and stick with what they know. It's always possible that McCarthy has a different vision, but this four-man setup is simple, familiar to the organization, and something that makes a whole lot of sense.

Steelers Now Have The Opportunity To Focus On Freiermuth

While Washington became extremely relevant in his third professional season, Freiermuth slipped out of the fans' view because of Smith's presence. Now, Pittsburgh can use them both strategically, but Wednesday evening's release signals that the offensive philosophy should start to focus more Freiermuth from a schematics standpoint. The Steelers are paying him a good chunk of money, and it's time for the coaching staff to get him more involved.

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