TE Battle? Predicting If Pat Freiermuth or Jonnu Smith Will Have A Higher 2025 Season

After the Pittsburgh Steelers completed the seismic trade of the offseason that sent S Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, and a 2027 pick swap, Pittsburgh finds itself with one of the deepest tight end rooms in the league.

Smith joins Pat Freiermuth, who has operated as Pittsburgh’s TE1 since getting drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft and signed a contract extension last offseason to keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2028 season. Pittsburgh also has Darnell Washington, a mountain of a man, who operates as a strong blocker. Connor Heyward is a Swiss Army Knife at the position, lacking ideal size, but can be utilized as a receiver and blocker from a variety of spots.

The big question heading into the 2025 season regarding the TE room is how the production/usage will be divvied up between Pittsburgh’s top two tight ends, Freiermuth and Smith. Freiermuth is a homegrown product coming off his best season to date in a Steelers uniform, catching 65 passes on 78 targets for 653 yards and seven touchdowns. However, Smith was elected to the Pro Bowl last season thanks to his efforts in Miami, catching 88 passes on 111 targets for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.

Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot made a good point about the target battle between Smith and Freiermuth this upcoming season, as Smith saw 33 more targets than Freiermuth. Still, Freiermuth actually outproduced Smith in yards per target last season. Miami attempted 591 passes last season, eighth in the league, while Pittsburgh attempted just 499, ranking 29th. The addition of QB Aaron Rodgers may inflate those numbers compared to the combination of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. However, OC Arthur Smith still wants the offense to be centered around running the football, so Smith is unlikely to see those high target numbers in a Steelers uniform.

According to longtime Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly, Smith is being viewed as a chess piece on offense. He has the skill set to play tight end, in the slot, out wide, and even dabble at fullback. This usage will put him in advantageous positions to draw targets, as Freiermuth will likely remain Pittsburgh’s TE1 that they roll out as their traditional starter, albeit coming off the field in heavy packages. Smith may stay on as a better blocker.

When looking at how the snaps/targets/production may shake out between Smith and Freiermuth, we can see the last time Jonnu Smith played under Arthur Smith in Atlanta with the Falcons in 2023, playing alongside TE Kyle Pitts. Smith started 6-of-17 games, playing 653 offensive snaps, and caught 50 passes on 70 targets for 582 yards and three touchdowns. Pitts, by comparison, started 15-of-17 games, playing 728 offensive snaps and caught 53 passes on 90 targets for 667 yards and three touchdowns as the team attempted 530 passes during the regular season.

While Smith is coming off a Pro Bowl nod and got a one-year contract extension as part of the trade, Freiermuth is an established part of this offense as a playmaker in his own right. Neither pass catcher has any rapport with Rodgers (outside of the three days Freiermuth and Rodgers had together during mandatory minicamp), making it a fresh start for both tight ends with their new quarterback.

There are other variables that may affect who may have a better season, like whether Pittsburgh will add another playmaker at wide receiver, but you could go either way for one player having a better season than the other for all the reasons listed above. If I were a betting man, I would venture to guess that Freiermuth would have a better statistical season than Smith, as Smith’s numbers were inflated last season in Miami. They likely will come back down to earth and replicate production similar to his 2023 campaign.

Regardless, I expect this tight end battle to be competitive. Both pass catchers will likely finish within a few targets, yards, and touchdowns of each other by season’s end.