Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth has enjoyed success against the Bengals during his career, but don’t expect that to translate into a big role for him Thursday. Over his last six games against Cincinnati, he has recorded at least 75 receiving yards four times, and at least 65 five times. He has also scored in each of his past two games against the Bengals, but does that factor into OC Arthur Smith’s thinking?
Perhaps not a great deal, if his public comments are anything to go by. Asked about Freiermuth’s past success against the Bengals, Smith explained that this is a different team. “There is a new defensive coordinator, obviously. Al Golden was there before, but he has his own personality on that”, he said, via the Steelers’ media relations department. “Sometimes the personnel changes, depending on the draft or whoever they sign in free agency. A lot of times when you’re in a division you know a lot of the players. That helps.
“But it’s a different scheme. You know, Al Golden will call different than Lou [Anarumo] did. So there is different challenges”.
Through five games this season, Pat Freiermuth has caught eight passes on 11 targets for 76 yards. He has only seen one target combined over the past two games, playing fewer than 40 snaps. Considering the Steelers are paying him an eight-figure salary, the whole thing has been rather perplexing.
Now, the Steelers have attempted the third-fewest passes per game in the NFL this season, which one has to consider. Outside of DK Metcalf, nobody is putting up numbers that are worth mentioning. But six different Steelers have caught touchdown passes this year, and none are named Pat Freiermuth. He caught seven last season, leading the team, yet he has seen a reduced role this year.
Over the past two games, the Steelers have deployed a heavy grouping featuring Darnell Washington and Spencer Anderson, ostensibly to counter 4-3 fronts, of which the Bengals present another. HC Mike Tomlin has basically said you can’t put 250-pound bodies—like Freiermuth’s—against such fronts. They have in the past, of course, and other teams do. But not a lot of teams have a Darnell Washington at their disposal, either.
As far as the Bengals go, Al Golden is in his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator. He previously served as the Bengals’ LB coach in 2020-21, then spent three years at Notre Dame. Though he has a 33-year coaching career, this is only his seventh season working in the NFL.
In that respect, Arthur Smith is right to point out that this is not the same Bengals defense the Steelers have exploited with Pat Freiermuth in the past. But this is a defense against which tight ends have seen success this year.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Bengals have allowed 36 receptions to tight ends for 395 yards and 5 touchdowns. Each of those rank among the six highest figures in the NFL. So just because they have a new boss doesn’t mean he isn’t the same as the old boss. And Pat Freiermuth is ready to work—or at least he’d better be.
