Veteran TE follows former HC Arthur Smith to Steelers

The Falcons found room for Pruitt despite rostering Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith last season. Pitts and Smith became one of the league’s top receiving tandems, with Pruitt contributing just nine catches for 110 yards as a third option. The Falcons have now moved on from Smith, via release, and Pruitt.

Now 32, Pruitt has played in a Smith-directed offense in four of the past five years. Pro Football Focus did view the 245-pound tight end as a rather efficient receiver, slotting him toward the top in terms of receiving grades during his two Falcons slates. 

In 2022, Pruitt tallied four touchdowns as an ancillary cog in Atlanta. The Steelers will give the Southern Illinois alum a chance to play a 10th NFL season.

PFF did not view Pruitt as a particularly effective run blocker last season, ranking him toward the bottom in that area. But the Falcons used him in the run game on 247 of his 401 snaps last season. Atlanta also turned to Pruitt as an extra pass protector, giving him 86 snaps in pass protection. This left only 68 snaps as a receiver, providing a preview of sorts of what could be expected in Pittsburgh.

Smith also served as Pruitt’s position coach in 2018, as the Titans employed the former as their TEs instructor in Mike Vrabel‘s first year (with Matt LaFleur as OC). 

A former Vikings draftee who later played with the Bears and Texans, Pruitt did not see much stability until he landed in Smith’s offense. Pruitt played four seasons with the Titans and two with the Falcons.

Arthur Smith is certainly no stranger to bringing in ex-Titan tight ends for assistance, having added Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser at points during his Atlanta stay. Like Pitts, Freiermuth should still be expected to operate as the lead TE in Arthur Smith’s attack. But some competition is coming in for a backup job.