The Pittsburgh Steelers boast a very talented roster heading into 2024, with very few obvious weaknesses on either side of the ball. As the offseason slows down before all 32 teams report for Training Camps in July, the Steelers roster is mostly set, although transactions like trades, extensions, and late Free Agent signings are still on the table.

With the position rooms set for now, I wanted to really dive into each group and talk about one potential “star” and one sleeper to watch for in 2024. Last week we looked at the Wide Receiver position, but for this edition of Stars and Sleepers, we’ll dive into the Steelers’ enigmatic Tight End room.

ON THE 90-MAN ROSTER:
Pat Freiermuth | Age: 25 | Exp: 4 yrs
Darnell Washington | Age: 22 | Exp: 2 yrs
Connor Heyward | Age: 23 | Exp: 3 yrs
MyCole Pruitt | Age: 32 | Exp: 9 yrs
Rodney Williams | Age: 24 | Exp: 2 yrs

POTENTIAL STAR: PAT FREIERMUTH

It’s obvious who the “star” candidate would be at the TE position for Pittsburgh, but that doesn’t make it any less important that Freiermuth truly does develop into a consistent, high-level producer for this offense in 2024. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance throughout “Muth’s” first 3 seasons, with big plays up the seam and acrobatic Red-Zone grabs. It’s on Arthur Smith and this new offensive scheme to really play to Freiermuth’s strengths in order for him to make the leap we all believe he can make. I think he has a big year for the Black and Gold.

SLEEPER: CONNOR HEYWARD

I wanted to highlight Heyward, who could find himself in an intriguing role for Arthur Smith’s offense. Smith loves to get multiple TEs on the field to create mismatches for defenses to overcome, and Heyward has plenty of versatility and the receiving chops to make defenders anxious anytime he steps on the field. If, knock on wood, Pat Freiermuth were to go down with an injury, I believe it would be Connor Heyward that would handle the bulk of the receiving work in his absence. For Heyward, it’s a big year to make his mark on a Steelers team that needs playmakers to rise up this season.