PITTSBURGH — Tight End University is not just a catchy name of a football camp, created for the NFL’s elites at the position to gather every June and score some sweet garb from high-end sponsors.
The three-day summit is the brainchild of George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen, who put it together three years ago to share trade secrets on and off the field — just like edge rushers and offensive linemen have been doing for years now.
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Now, what each player does with that information is up to him. For Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, he wasn’t about to let the opportunity of a lifetime get away from him, even if none of his teammates was interested in attending.
“I was pumped to go,” Freiermuth said.
And why not?
When you are getting classroom advice from two of the best at the position in Kelce and Kittle, or learning on-field techniques from one of the greatest ever in Rob Gronkowski and the underrated Jordan Reed, it’s hard to pass it up. Freiermuth decided to take the trip and, better yet, take full advantage of the teachings.
Seventy-five players took part in the summit at Vanderbilt University from June 20-23. Freiermuth got the invite and made his first appearance.
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“It was great to learn from a bunch of your peers at the top of their game and trying to implement the things they do,” he said. “I got a lot out of it, and hopefully I can apply it to the field. You get to pick the brain of some of the best.”
Freiermuth is in his third year with the Steelers.
After bursting onto the scene as a rookie, Freiermuth produced 63 catches for 732 yards in his second season but also had five fewer touchdowns than the previous year (seven). That very well could be the result of having a rookie quarterback running the offense.
Among all tight ends, Freiermuth finished fifth in targets (98), sixth in receptions, sixth in receiving yards, ninth in yards after the catch (286) and 13th in yards per reception (11.6), per TruMedia. He also was fourth in air yards (849), eighth in average target distance (8.7) and third in deep targets (12).
Freiermuth was 13 off the single-season Steelers record for receptions, behind Heath Miller’s 76 in 2009. It’s just a matter of time before he breaks Miller’s record. Tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts feels big plays are in Freiermuth’s future.
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“He has a knack for making plays,” Roberts said. “He just doesn’t want to catch the ball, but he wants to extend the play. It has been a coaching point for a while, just believing that his run after the catch is important. We practice it, we drill it and he does it. It is a big component of the game. The middle of the field is like a soft belly to explore.”
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Kenny Pickett and Pat Freiermuth have come up big for Steelers during big times
Entering his third season — with the possibility of a long-term extension next offseason — Freiermuth sought any edge he could get. In the season opener last week, he had only one catch, but it was a touchdown. With Diontae Johnson out for the next few weeks, the Steelers’ passing game could go through the Penn State tight end even more, starting Monday night against the Browns.
Pickett to Freiermuth! @Steelers are on the board
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“(A contract extension) is motivation, but I try not to think about it too much because it will consume you,” Freiermuth said. “I will worry about that when the time comes. Right now, it is about getting better.”
Freiermuth believes a “semester” at Tight End University might have done that.
“He had a couple of questions, and he asked a lot of questions,” Kittle said. “Pat was definitely interested in it and taking notes, so it was good. I’ve been a big fan of Pat. He came in as a rookie and made plays, and that’s what you want to see from guys. You see a lot of effort out there. When you are a young tight end and your number is getting called, that’s all good news, and when (you’re) making plays, that’s even better.”
Freiermuth said his biggest takeaway was a classroom session with Kelce — the league’s top tight end for years now.
Kelce spoke about making every route look the same off the ball. The Chiefs run a scheme where they line up Kelce in the same location a half dozen times a game and have different variations off of the same route. Making every route look like the previous one allows him to get open.
“That was the biggest thing for me,” Freiermuth said. “I kind of knew, but hearing it from those guys makes all the difference. A bunch of linebackers came up to me (in camp) and told me they noticed a difference with routes. It is a simple concept, but effective.”
Coach Trav.
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— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 21, 2023
“You go out on the field and you have anybody from me, Travis, Greg Olsen, Jordan Reed — Gronk was there and saying, ‘This is what we talked about in the meetings,’ and, ‘This is how you are going to do it on the field,'” Kittle said. “When the coach comes and says they want you to watch Kelce run routes, that’s great, but if you don’t know what he is thinking, then it doesn’t click. To have the ability to listen to Travis is invaluable.”
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Freiermuth was the only Steelers to attend Tight End U. Connor Heyward had a chance to go but figured he was too early in his career to participate with the league’s best. Instead, he worked out with his brother, Cam.
Freiermuth and Kenny Pickett have been building a relationship, especially in critical parts of the game.
During last year’s fourth-quarter, game-winning drive against the Raiders, Freiermuth caught a 17-yard pass and then a 10-yard pass near the sideline when Pickett escaped from pressure. It led to George Pickens’ go-ahead score.
In the same situation the next week against the Ravens, Pickett did a reverse spin out of the pocket and hit Freiermuth across the middle for 20 yards. It helped set up Pickett’s game-winning throw to Najee Harris.
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Freiermith also had a 57-yard catch-and-run that set up the team’s only touchdown in a three-point win over the Falcons.
“He understands football and where to find the soft spots on the field,” Pickett said.
And this was before Tight End U and the talk from Kelce.
“We will take good information from anybody,” Roberts said. “Finding nuggets like that, that kind of information to add to your game. … You can see that on Kelce’s tape, and Pat has applied that, too.
“What makes elite become elite is when you see the game slow down. Kelce plays the game fast, but next to him, everybody else seems to just move through it. It is making plays and what you do after the catch. Turning a 5(-yarder) into a 15, a 15 into a 40 is next level.”
Making big plays is the next step for Freiermuth. He has a reputation as a top red zone threat but hasn’t been consistent enough, for whatever reason, to inch into the top tier of the tight ends in the league. He has the talent and the drive to be great but has worked with three different quarterbacks in two-plus years.
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Offensive coordinator Matt Canada says Freiermuth is right where a third-year tight end should be in his development.
“I don’t want to minimize or maximize (the Tight End U experience),” Canada said. “He is very engaged and positive. We tried to get him some balls (against the 49ers) but weren’t able to get him as many as we liked. I am excited about where he is at.”
— The Athletic’s Matt Barrows contributed to this story.
(Photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
