How Pat Freiermuth is expected to benefit the most from the Chase Claypool trade
The Pittsburgh Steelers sent some shockwaves through the football world last week when they traded away third-year wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears. The larger-bodied receiver entered the NFL as a borderline “tight end” according to many scouts who felt Claypool’s frame best fit playing that position, rather than as a receiver.
It’s also why the Steelers felt comfortable dealing Claypool away.
A lot of fans and analysts are all looking in the wrong area as to who will replace Claypool’s production. Some believe it’s the smaller WR Steven Sims, others think it’s the larger WR Miles Boykin. However, the biggest beneficiary of Claypool’s trade should be Pat Freiermuth. The second-year player out of Penn State has continued his impressive play, and figures to be a cornerstone of the franchise for the next few seasons.
While a list of NFL best betting sites may not feature the Steelers as legitimate contenders down the stretch, supporters can watch a player who may one day be the very best at his position.
A Preferred Target
In many cases, it’s hard to separate NFL pass catchers and their ability with the person who is throwing them the football. If a player is producing heavily and their quarterback is putting up numbers, usually both players are the beneficiary of the credit.
However, it’s pretty easy to see that Freiermuth has been a weapon regardless of who has been under center in Pittsburgh. As a rookie, Freiermuth caught seven touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger, while catching 60 passes in 16 games.
With Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett under center, Freiermuth’s production has continued to steadily improve. While his scoring numbers are down, his average yards-per-reception is up three yards from where it was a year ago.
With Claypool gone, Freiermuth is the second-most targeted player on the team, and was only targeted two times fewer than Chase was.
Additional Opportunity
While Claypool’s departure is a plus for the team’s outlook on George Pickens, but it also bodes well for the emerging tight end. You can likely expect all of Freiermuth’s numbers to uptick in the coming weeks as he operates out of the slot in similar fashion to how Claypool has through the first half of the season.
The Steelers also got a glimpse of Freiermuth’s ability to produce in the red zone last year, and the trade will make Freiermuth an even more involved part of the passing game. Steelers tight ends coach Frisman Jackson joined the team last year and has been working exclusively with the Penn State product since 2021.
Believe it or not, Freiermuth’s 32 receptions for 367 yards doesn’t rank poorly among other tight ends throughout the league. Of course, Travis Kelce is tops at the position with 57 catches for 659 yards and 7 touchdowns through eight games.
Freiermuth, who was on a bye last week, ranks 12th among all tight ends in catches, which is still only a handful from being in the top 40 of all receivers in the NFL. That may not seem like much, but Freiermuth’s 367 yards ranks 7th overall among all tight ends, with only David Njoku having played the same or fewer number of games.
Freiermuth’s yards-per-reception, as noted, is an uptick from last season, but notably he’s only a tenth of one-yard (14.5) shy of Kelce and Mark Andrews’ 14.6 mark. (Among tight ends with at least 15 receptions.)
A Strong Following
A player’s performance is the most relevant factor in determining whether or not they get considered for end of season awards like the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. If Freiermuth’s play on the field becomes elite from a receiving and blocking perspective, he might be able to become the gold standard at tight end.
However, it’s hard to argue that his case is also helped by the team he plays on. The Steelers are one of the landmark franchises in the NFL. Anytime Freiermuth makes a big play, chants of “Muth” will be audibly noticeable whether the Steelers are at home or on the road.
This attention will help keep him in the spotlight over players on teams with less of a following, and one should expect that to remain the case now that he may have more time to shine.
