Steelers fans have high hopes for Pat Freiermuth in 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very solid set of weapons in their offensive arsenal heading into 2022. When you consider who they have at the skill positions, you can see how fans can expect big things from the group this season.

RB: Najee Harris
WR: Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens
TE: Pat Freiermuth

Speaking of Freiermuth, fans of the black and gold have some big expectations for the tight end out of Penn State heading into his sophomore season.

Just last week I posed the question of who will have the most touchdown receptions to the Steelers fan base as a part of the SB Nation Reacts survey, powered by DraftKings Sportsbook.

The options were as follows:

• Pat Friermuth
• George Pickens
• Diontae Johnson
• Chase Claypool
• Other

When you take into consideration how every one of these players will essentially help the other succeed, the question doesn’t have an easy answer. And the results of the survey showed just that.

Take a look at the results below:

The breakdown of percentages:

Freiermuth: 35%
Pickens: 28%
Johnson: 24%
Claypool: 12%
Other: 1%

Between the top three in the results, there wasn’t much of a difference, suggesting the fan base believes the Steelers won’t have just one main weapon this year on offense. With that said, Freiermuth is clearly the player fans think will have the best year.

Freiermuth is coming off a rookie season where he caught seven touchdown passes, only one off the team record for a tight end, the record is eight touchdowns set by Heath Miller. If he can remain healthy, which is a big ask considering his concussion history in 2021, there are plenty of reasons to believe Freiermuth will pick up where he left off last season.

The one caveat, and it is a big caveat, is the Steelers’ offensive line. For the Steelers to have any amount of offensive success this season, they will need the offensive line to do their jobs. Regardless of who is the team’s quarterback throughout the regular season, if the offensive line doesn’t protect well, none of the aforementioned skill position players will have much of an impact.

A lot of pressure will be placed on these players to perform at a high level, and it looks as if the Steelers fan base is putting the most pressure on Freiermuth to be the difference maker everyone knows he can be in his second year in the NFL.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the preseason finale vs. the Detroit Lions this Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.