Steelers' Aaron Rodgers May Have A Powerful Answer While Receivers Catch Up

The Pittsburgh Steelers rebuilt their receiving corps because asking one or two players to carry an entire passing game was never going to be sustainable. The names around the offense look better now, but chemistry does not arrive simply because the depth chart improved on paper. With Week 1 here, Pittsburgh may have another group capable of buying its newer weapons some valuable time to catch up.

Ray Fittipaldo believes Aaron Rodgers currently looks more comfortable with Pittsburgh's veteran tight ends than the wider collection of receivers around him. During a recent discussion, Fittipaldo pointed toward Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Robert Tonyan as a group he expects Rodgers and Mike McCarthy to lean on heavily.

“I got to say, so I’m sure you did too, that he feels a lot more comfortable with his three tight ends than he does his receivers at this point… They can go 13 personnel… they can mix and match in 12 personnel with Tonyan and Freiermuth or Tonyan and Washington or Freiermuth and Washington. So they have all sorts of options, and I would not be surprised at all, Chris, if that was a featured part of their offense this season just because their receivers beyond Pittman and DK Metcalf are so inexperienced. I expect Mike McCarthy and I certainly expect Aaron Rodgers to lean on those veterans,” Fittipaldo said.

That personnel flexibility gives Pittsburgh a convenient way to simplify Rodgers' early-season comfort without simplifying the offense itself. Twelve personnel puts one running back and two tight ends on the field. Thirteen personnel adds a third tight end. Those groupings can look heavy enough to invite bigger defenders into the game, but Pittsburgh does not have three tight ends who become invisible the moment Rodgers drops back.

Freiermuth remains the most established receiving threat of the group. Washington brings a dramatically different body type and can affect the run game without eliminating himself as a passing option. Tonyan gives Pittsburgh another veteran target with an especially useful advantage: he already understands Rodgers.

Tonyan spent multiple seasons catching passes from Rodgers in Green Bay and also has history with McCarthy. Pittsburgh's decision to bring Tonyan into the room therefore provided something more valuable than ordinary TE3 depth. He arrived already familiar with the quarterback's timing and with some of the offensive principles McCarthy values. That experience matters when the alternatives are still learning from one another.

DK Metcalf has the advantage of already playing a season with Rodgers, and Michael Pittman Jr. gives Pittsburgh another proven veteran. Behind them, however, the Steelers are asking younger receivers to develop quickly. Germie Bernard is entering his rookie season, while Roman Wilson is still trying to establish a consistent offensive role.

That does not make the receiver room a weakness. It makes the tight ends an awfully convenient bridge.

Rodgers has always operated best when he trusts where his targets will be. That relationship goes beyond whether somebody can create separation. Route depth, leverage, timing against zone coverage and recognizing the same adjustment when the defense changes after the snap can determine whether the ball comes out immediately or Rodgers moves elsewhere in the progression.

Veterans tend to shorten that learning curve.

Pittsburgh can also use heavier personnel to make the defense uncomfortable before the snap. Put Freiermuth and Washington on the field together and an opponent has to decide whether it wants enough size to defend the run or enough speed to survive if both release. Add Tonyan and the picture gets even stranger because 13 personnel no longer automatically means Pittsburgh plans to spend the snap trying to move somebody three yards backward.

That uncertainty fits what McCarthy has spent the offseason building. His roster contains players capable of changing responsibilities without forcing a substitution, allowing the same personnel group to present several different formations.

Rodgers benefits from every bit of that ambiguity. If a defense responds to three tight ends by loading the box, Pittsburgh can create favorable matchups outside or release one of those tight ends into space. If the opponent stays light to protect against the pass, Washington's blocking ability gives the run game a much friendlier picture.

Steelers Could Let Their Veterans Carry The Early Load

The important distinction in Fittipaldo's assessment is that Pittsburgh does not have to choose between developing its young receivers and featuring its tight ends. It can do both.

Bernard can grow into a larger workload without being asked to immediately function like a veteran who has spent years working with Rodgers. Wilson can continue earning trust. Pittman can become more comfortable inside McCarthy's system. Meanwhile, the quarterback can lean on Freiermuth, Washington and Tonyan when he wants a familiar answer in the middle of the field.

The arrangement also gives McCarthy considerable freedom from week to week. Some opponents may invite more three-receiver sets. Others may struggle matching Pittsburgh's size. There is no reason the offensive identity has to remain frozen if the roster is versatile enough to change it. Fittipaldo's expectation suggests the tight end room could become much more than a complementary piece while everything settles around it.

Pittsburgh spent the offseason adding weapons for Rodgers. The most useful ones early on may be the veterans who already know exactly what he wants.

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