Steelers' Pat Freiermuth Going All Out To Guide Younger Players And Become An Offensive Leader

The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been known for teaching rookies "the Steelers way." That is when a veteran passes on knowledge to a new player about how the organization functions, its proud history, tradition of excellence, and the notion of giving it 110%. Defensive players like Cameron Heyward have told stories about knowledge being handed down from legends like James Harrison, Joey Porter Sr., Ryan Clark and James Farrior. 

The offense used to do something similar. There were always senior players still on the team, eager to impart knowledge to the younger guys. This was especially true of the Ben Roethlisberger era when his offensive linemen were known to be the glue that held that group together and kept younger players in check. Roethlisberger shared that the Steelers' way started to erode since those guys all left at about the same time.   

The topic has again come up because wide receiver George Pickens has been acting out. Recently, longtime Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly, currently with The Pat McAfee Show, spoke with Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan. Starkey asked Kaboly if anyone on the team currently fills that role. 

"They are so young, there's so much turnover, who's gonna do it," asked Kaboly. "Typically, that just falls to the quarterback, and when you have four different quarterbacks in four years, it's gonna be hard to establish that. I see guys try to do it. I know [Pat] Freiermuth is going out of his way to try to become a leader, but I don't know if he has the personality to do it. It's one of the reasons why I think Tomlin likes Russell Wilson. Everything he does has a purpose in terms of leadership. I don't know if that helps you out on the field or not, but he definitely has that machismo."

Kaboly said there aren't many obvious choices on the offense right now. The offensive line lacks a player like Maurkice Pouncey, who provided exceptional leadership to younger players. The current iteration of the line is mostly young, inexperienced, and very quiet. The best candidate is Isaac Seumalo, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, like the others, Seumalo is a quiet, lead-by-example type. 

He added that there are other leaders, but you just don't see on offense what you do on the defense. Starkey said he sees players like Heyward and T.J. Watt try to step up, but there isn't anyone with the "gravitas" of Farrior or Jerome Bettis.

"I would assume that T.J. and Cam do," added Kaboly. "They're leaders, but they're not the leaders from 10-15 years ago. Where even the guys on the other side, like Maurkice Pouncey, if something was happening, Pouncey would go up and get in their face, and it would be over. I don't know that these guys lead that way. But those guys do a lot. They deserve and garner respect from those guys. Maybe it's a different type of leadership."

Pat Freiermuth is in a prime position to be the guy who steps up. He recently took a veiled shot at Pickens after losing to the Dallas Cowboys. It's also good timing for him. He is in his fourth season in Pittsburgh after being drafted in the second round. He played with Roethlisberger his first season, allowing him to learn from a future Hall of Famer. He signed a four-year contract to stay in the black and gold before the start of the 2024 season, so he likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon. 

Steelers' Russell Wilson Could Get A Shot Against The Raiders

So far this season, Russell Wilson has spent the season on the bench recovering from a calf injury, allowing Justin Fields to start. Fields contributed to Pittsburgh dropping their last two games, and many believe he is now on a short leash. 

The Steelers head out to play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, and Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been vague about who will be the starter. Kaboly believes that Tomlin wants to see Wilson at some point this season just to know what he can do. He added that if Fields isn't performing well and the Steelers have another slow start, he might pull him and give Wilson his shot.