Steelers' Pat Freiermuth Drops Exciting Hint About Mike McCarthy's Hidden Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent an entire offseason assembling an offense with enough movable pieces to make a defensive coordinator reach for the dry-erase marker. What Pittsburgh has actually shown publicly has been considerably less revealing. Training camp and three preseason games provided clues, but with Week 1 finally approaching, one of the players who knows the complete plan sounds particularly eager for the rest of it to escape the meeting room.

Pat Freiermuth offered an intriguing tease when asked Thursday about the versatility Pittsburgh has built under Mike McCarthy. Freiermuth understandably avoided giving Atlanta any free scouting material before the opener, but during his media availability, he made it clear that the offense has more waiting beneath the surface.

“Yeah. Very excited. Um, I’m not going to spoil too much of what we got going on, but very excited for it,” Freiermuth said.

There is plenty for McCarthy to potentially hide. Pittsburgh's initial 53-man roster contains three tight ends, two conventional running backs, a running back/wide receiver hybrid and a receiver group constructed with players capable of moving around the formation. Personnel labels should be useful for organizing lockers. They do not necessarily have to tell a defense where everybody will stand once the huddle breaks.

Freiermuth may be one of the most interesting pieces because his presence does not force Pittsburgh into one obvious identity. He has already proven he can function as a traditional receiving tight end, work underneath against zone coverage and threaten the seams. Put Darnell Washington beside him, though, and the picture becomes less comfortable for a defense. Washington's size makes heavier personnel perfectly capable of looking like a run formation until both tight ends release into routes.

That is one reason Pittsburgh's tight ends could become particularly valuable under McCarthy. Washington developed into a more legitimate receiving threat last season, finishing with career highs of 31 catches and 364 receiving yards. Freiermuth remains the more established route runner of the two. An offense capable of putting both on the field without surrendering credible passing options can make a defensive coordinator choose between matching size and matching speed.

Choose wrong, and Aaron Rodgers has spent roughly two decades demonstrating what happens next.

The same guessing game exists elsewhere. Rookie Germie Bernard arrived from Alabama with experience lining up outside, in the slot and even occasionally in the backfield. Pittsburgh traded up for him in the second round and spent the summer preparing him for multiple responsibilities rather than tying him to one patch of grass. Moving Bernard before the snap can reveal coverage without changing personnel.

Then there is Eli Heidenreich, whom Pittsburgh officially carried on its initial roster as a running back/wide receiver. His unusual offensive possibilities are almost built for this sort of experimentation. Heidenreich can begin beside Rodgers, motion into the slot or potentially create a matchup against a linebacker without McCarthy having to substitute.

None of that proves Pittsburgh is about to spend Week 1 emptying a binder full of trick formations onto the Atlanta Falcons. The interesting part is that McCarthy has assembled enough versatile personnel that the offense can alter its appearance without resorting to gimmicks.

Even the backfield contributes to that uncertainty. Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle are both capable receivers rather than runners who automatically narrow the playbook when they enter. Pittsburgh can move between the ground game, screens and conventional passing concepts without making every substitution a giant neon sign announcing what comes next.

Freiermuth's comment is also notable because the Steelers had little incentive to showcase the complete offense during the preseason. Pittsburgh needed to evaluate players, install McCarthy's system and get through August healthy enough to use it. Advertising every personnel package and formation wrinkle before the games counted would have accomplished little besides giving opposing coaches more film to study.

The opener changes the equation.

Steelers Can Finally Take The Cover Off McCarthy's Offense

Pittsburgh spent months discussing versatility as an abstract advantage. Week 1 is when it finally has to produce something tangible.

McCarthy has multiple tight ends with legitimate offensive value, receivers who can change alignments, two experienced running backs and one rookie whose position practically requires a slash. Rodgers gives him a quarterback with enough experience to diagnose what a defense does in response to all that movement. The pieces allow Pittsburgh to present one picture before the snap and play football from another after it.

The important part will be making the creativity functional. Motion and unusual formations accomplish nothing if they merely produce prettier ways to punt. Pittsburgh still has to block, protect Rodgers and create favorable matchups that actually lead somewhere. Versatility becomes valuable when it forces a defense into a personnel decision the offense can exploit.

Freiermuth clearly knows what Pittsburgh has been practicing behind closed doors. He just has no intention of helping Atlanta figure it out several days early. After an offseason filled with speculation about what McCarthy's first Steelers offense will actually look like, that secrecy may be the most interesting clue yet. 

The preseason gave everyone the trailer. Freiermuth sounds ready for Pittsburgh to finally show the movie.

#SteelerNation