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The Pittsburgh Steelers may be without starting tight end Pat Freiermuth for 2-3 weeks, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested the Steelers fill the hole with a rival’s tight end.
Knox identified the Steelers as a possible landing spot for New England Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki.
“Gesicki could interest tight-end-needy teams because of his track record as a pass-catcher,” Knox wrote. “While he’s been underwhelming over the last year-plus, Gesicki had back-to-back 700-yard receiving seasons in 2020 and 2021 with the Miami Dolphins.”
Gesicki has 10 receptions for 99 yards on 13 targets in four games this season. That puts him on pace for roughly 55 targets in 2023, which is about what he had last year (52).
But Gesicki did score 5 touchdowns for the Patriots in 2022. And as Knox noted, he had back-to-back 700-yard campaigns for the Miami Dolphins in 2020 and 2021.
Why the Patriots Could Move on From TE Mike Gesicki
The obvious reason New England could depart with Gesicki is he hasn’t been heavily involved in the team’s offense. He’s also set to be a free agent in March.
While that lowers his value because he’s simply a rental player for any potential trade suitor, the Patriots could receive something in return for Gesicki rather than seeing him just walk next offseason.
Knox implied New England could explore trading the veteran tight end for a wide receiver or pass rusher. The Patriots could use another weapon on offense, as they are 20th in net yards per pass attempt through four games. They also just lost edge rusher Matthew Judon to biceps surgery.
The Steelers don’t seem likely to be interested in a trade where they have to give up a contributor already on their roster. That’s especially true when Freiermuth may only miss one game because of the team’s upcoming bye in Week 6.
But the Patriots sit at 1-3 entering Week 5. It’s very possibly that they could be sellers at the trade deadline by the end of the month.
Would Gesicki Fit With the Steelers?
For the right price, Gesicki would be an interesting addition to the Steelers offense. If he recaptured his production from his final two seasons in Miami, he could be very helpful to quarterback Kenny Pickett taking the next step in his development.
But the Steelers love deploying Freiermuth in pretty much all offensive situations. He’s played on 63.9% of the team’s offensive snaps this season despite leaving both Week 1 and 4 with injuries.
No other Steelers tight end has played more than 44% of the team’s offensive snaps this year.
If Freiermuth was out long term, it would make more sense for the Steelers to pursue Gesicki. But again, Freiermuth is expected be back before the trade deadline.
The Steelers also just drafted Darnell Washington in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. He’s only received 1 target in the first four games, but Pittsburgh may prefer giving him an opportunity to play more without Freiermuth to see what he can do.
Pittsburgh’s other tight end is Connor Heyward, who the team is trying to find ways to involve in the offense.
If the Steelers traded for Gesicki, there would be fewer snaps for not only Freiermuth but also Washington and Heyward. In all likelihood, the Steelers won’t pursue Gesicki and will instead find a short-term solution while Freiermuth recovers.
On October 4, Pittsburgh signed tight end Rodney Williams from the practice squad for the Week 5 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
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