The best tight ends from 2024 the Steelers are set to face in 2025

After taking a look at the top rushers, wide receivers, and quarterbacks from 2024 who are scheduled to face the Steelers in 2025, today it’s time to check out a position group that might have been left out all together as they share yardage with wide receivers. But since the Steelers have struggled at times in defending this position, let’s look at the tight ends who are on the Steelers schedule this season who finished toward the top of the yardage standings last year. As I said before, there could be injuries, trades, benchings, or holdouts which could make these players not able to see the field when they face the Black & Gold. But for now, these things can’t be known for sure.

This list consists of players listed as tight ends by Pro Football Reference who had at least 600 receiving yards in 2024, their overall rank in yardage last season, and the week in which they will face the Steelers.

Note: New Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith was higher on the list than any tight end the Steelers face in 2025 in the 4th spot, and Pat Freiermuth was just behind them in the 12th spot.

Sam LaPorta (6th)
Detroit Lions
Week 16

Coming into only his third NFL season, Sam LaPorta has never faced the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a strong rookie season in 2023 where LaPorta had 889 receiving yards on 86 receptions and 10 touchdowns, 2024 was a bit of a letdown with 726 receiving yards on 60 receptions and seven touchdowns. Still, it was a high-quality performance as LaPorta looks to be the best tight end the Steelers will face this season.

Tucker Kraft (7th)
Green Bay Packers
Week 8

Another young tight end coming into his third NFL season, Tucker Kraft had 707 receiving yards on 50 receptions and seven touchdowns in 2024. In his rookie season of 2023, Kraft did not have nearly the numbers as he had roughly half as many yards and only two touchdowns. In the 2023 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kraft only had one reception for 6 yards in a 23–19 Steelers victory.

Hunter Henry (8th)
New England Patriots
Week 3

After looking at two young tight ends, the remaining names on this list are NFL veterans. Hunter Henry has nine NFL seasons under his belt and is coming off his most receiving yards of his career with 674 on 66 receptions. Facing the Steelers three times in his career, once with the Chargers and twice with the Patriots, Henry had completely different results depending on his team. As part of the Chargers in 2019, Henry had 100 receiving yards on eight receptions and two touchdowns in a 24-17 loss to the Steelers. But in his two games with the Patriots in 2022 and 2023, Henry had a game with no receptions followed by another with three receptions for 40 yards but with two more touchdowns. Interesting enough, both games and played against the Steelers with the Patriots were in Pittsburgh where New England was victorious.

Mark Andrews (9th)
Baltimore Ravens
Week 14, Week 18

The Steelers are very familiar with Andrews as they have faced off 11 times since 2018 with Andrews top game being in Week 17 of the 2022 season where he hit 100 receiving yards on nine receptions. Despite not reaching 40 receiving yards in any of the three contests with the Steelers in 2024, including the postseason, Andrew’s did finally breakthrough and have his first touchdown against the Steelers in their Week 16 victory in Baltimore.

Mike Gesicki (10th)
Cincinnati Bengals
Week 7, Week 11

Going into his eighth NFL season, Gesicki is with his third NFL franchise and has face the Steelers as a member of each of them. With the Miami Dolphins in 2019 and 2022, Gesicki only had two receptions for 10 yards followed by three receptions for 27 yards. In the 2023 matchup with New England Patriots, Gesicki did not even have a target, let alone a reception. But with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024, Gesicki saw better success. In the first matchup, a 44–38 Steelers victory, Gesicki had five receptions on five targets for 53 yards. In Week 18, a 19–17 Bengals win, Gesicki had eight receptions on 10 targets for 68 yards. No matter which franchise he was with, Gesicki has not had a receiving touchdown against the Steelers.