The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially entering a new era. Longtime quarterback and team leader Ben Roethlisberger finally retired. That left the Steelers without an established starter for the first time in decades. However, Roethlisberger's absence isn't really a reason for concern. Head coach Mike Tomlin and former general manager Kevin Colbert did a great job of building the Steelers into a playoff contender during the offseason. They added pieces on the offensive line, and managed to put together one of the best drafts in the entire NFL. However, those improvements alone won't be enough. Pittsburgh desperately needs some of their more pedestrian players to step up in order to be really successful. There are plenty of players on the Steelers who are ready for a breakout season, but none are more likely than tight end Pat Freiermuth.

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Steelers X-Factor To Emerge In 2022 NFL Season

Pat Freiermuth

Freiermuth was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Many expected him to make an instant impact. However, rookie tight ends seldom have huge rookie years, and Freiermuth was no different. He did produce decent numbers, putting up 497 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The Penn State product was able to put up those stats despite only playing 58 percent of the offensive snaps. It's fair to expect an uptick in snaps for Freiermuth. That will obviously lead to a big increase in statistical output. He was already one of the better red zone threats in the NFL and will look to expand on that.

It's normal for teams to be careful with rookie tight ends, and the Steelers were no different in 2021. Freiermuth was certainly the most skilled tight end on the roster last year. His lack of playing time was probably because of difficulty with the playbook and a lack of physical maturity. A full season of play and an offseason of training will provide a solution to both of those problems. With a full offseason under his belt, there's no question that Freiermuth is far and away the best tight end on the roster.

Zach Gentry is the second guy on the depth chart. He took a ton of snaps from Freiermuth last season. Despite playing 40 percent of the snaps in 2021, Gentry only amassed 167 yards receiving. Gentry and Freiermuth aren't even comparable at this point. Eric Ebron played 2 percent of the snaps last season, but he's no longer on roster. There's no longer competition for snaps, which is a huge plus for Freiermuth.

Some may point at the Steelers' quarterback situation as a reason for concern. But it's actually a benefit for Freiermuth. Mitchell Trubisky is set to start, and he's always been a tight end-friendly passer. During his time as a starter for the Chicago Bears, Trubsiky gave his tight ends a relatively high target share despite having awful players at the position. Trubisky was happy to throw to Trey Burton, Dion Sims, and Adam Shaheen. Only one of those guys is still in the NFL. It's clear that Trubisky will be happy to target Freiermuth on a regular basis.

There is a chance that rookie signal-caller Kenny Pickett starts at some point in the season. Again, that should only help Freiermuth's breakout prospects for 2022. Rookie quarterbacks are notoriously reliant on their tight ends, and Pickett likely won't be any different. The University of Pittsburgh product is also a little short on arm strength, a factor that will lead to increased targets to his tight ends.