The Steelers' best tight ends since 1966
Heath Miller has the most receiving yards of the 67 tight ends who played with the Steelers since 1966, 6,569 in 163 games. Pat Freiermuth is 2nd, with 2,911.
The Steelers' tight ends this season
- Darnell Washington8 games, 31.8 a game879 with the Steelers, the 10th-most since 1966.254receiving yards
- Pat Freiermuth8 games, 29.4 a game2,911 with the Steelers, the 2nd-most since 1966.235receiving yards
By decade: 2020s · 2010s · 2000s · 1990s · 1980s · 1970s · 1966–69
Compare with in · side by side
| Place | Player | receiving yards | receptions | receiving TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heath Miller2005 – 2015 · 163 games | 6,569 | 592 | 45 |
| 2 | Pat Freiermuth2021 – 2026 · still playing | 2,911 | 286 | 26 |
| +235 this season | ||||
| 3 | Bennie Cunningham1976 – 1985 · 118 games | 2,879 | 202 | 20 |
| 4 | Eric Green1990 – 1994 · 62 games | 2,681 | 198 | 24 |
| 5 | Randy Grossman1974 – 1981 · 118 games | 1,514 | 119 | 5 |
| 6 | John Hilton1966 – 1969 · 40 games | 1,445 | 104 | 10 |
| 7 | Mark Bruener1995 – 2003 · 112 games | 1,197 | 137 | 16 |
| 8 | Jesse James2015 – 2018 · 50 games | 1,189 | 120 | 9 |
| 9 | Vance McDonald2017 – 2020 · 49 games | 1,170 | 117 | 8 |
| 10 | Darnell Washington2023 – 2026 · still playing | 879 | 76 | 5 |
| +254 this season · passes Vance McDonald for 9th in 10 games at his pace | ||||
| 11 | Mike Mularkey1989 – 1991 · 39 games | 758 | 60 | 4 |
| 12 | Eric Ebron2020 – 2021 · 23 games | 642 | 68 | 6 |
| 13 | Larry Brown1971 – 1984 · 167 games | 636 | 48 | 5 |
| 14 | Jerame Tuman1999 – 2007 · 56 games | 500 | 43 | 7 |
| 15 | John McMakin1972 – 1974 · 36 games | 472 | 34 | 2 |
| 16 | Preston Gothard1985 – 1988 · 50 games | 459 | 41 | 3 |
| 17 | Adrian Cooper1991 – 1993 · 46 games | 456 | 36 | 5 |
| 18 | Matt Spaeth2007 – 2015 · 45 games | 342 | 42 | 7 |
| 19 | Dennis Hughes1970 – 1971 · 18 games | 332 | 24 | 3 |
| 20 | Ladarius Green2016 · 6 games | 304 | 18 | 1 |
| 21 | Zach Gentry2019 – 2022 · 26 games | 303 | 39 | 0 |
| 22 | David Johnson2009 – 2016 · 37 games | 296 | 29 | 1 |
| 23 | Bob Adams1969 – 1971 · 31 games | 276 | 29 | 0 |
| 24 | Xavier Grimble2016 – 2019 · 26 games | 239 | 23 | 3 |
| 25 | Jonnu Smith2025 · 17 games | 222 | 38 | 2 |
receiving yards by decade
2020s
- › Pat Freiermuth2021 – 2026 · 82 games2,911
- › Darnell Washington2023 – 2026 · 42 games879
- Eric Ebron2020 – 2021 · 23 games642
- Zach Gentry2021 – 2022 · 24 games299
- Jonnu Smith2025 · 17 games222
2010s
- Heath Miller2010 – 2015 · 90 games3,848
- Jesse James2015 – 2018 · 50 games1,189
- Vance McDonald2017 – 2019 · 39 games1,071
- Ladarius Green2016 · 6 games304
- David Johnson2010 – 2016 · 32 games287
2000s
- Heath Miller2005 – 2009 · 73 games2,721
- Jerame Tuman2000 – 2007 · 55 games500
- Mark Bruener2000 – 2003 · 39 games368
- Jay Riemersma2003 – 2004 · 13 games220
- Matt Spaeth2007 – 2009 · 23 games195
1990s
- Eric Green1990 – 1994 · 62 games2,681
- Mark Bruener1995 – 1999 · 73 games829
- Adrian Cooper1991 – 1993 · 46 games456
- Mike Mularkey1990 – 1991 · 25 games432
- Jonathan Hayes1994 – 1996 · 48 games177
1980s
- Bennie Cunningham1980 – 1985 · 73 games1,650
- Preston Gothard1985 – 1988 · 50 games459
- Mike Mularkey1989 · 14 games326
- Randy Grossman1980 – 1981 · 31 games312
- Danzell Lee1987 · 13 games124
1970s
- Bennie Cunningham1976 – 1979 · 45 games1,229
- Randy Grossman1974 – 1979 · 87 games1,202
- Larry Brown1971 – 1979 · 114 games636
- John McMakin1972 – 1974 · 36 games472
- Dennis Hughes1970 – 1971 · 18 games332
1966–69
- John Hilton1966 – 1969 · 40 games1,445
- Chet Anderson1967 · 4 games141
- Bob Adams1969 · 3 games80
- Rich Kotite1968 · 2 games65
- Tony Jeter1966 – 1968 · 3 games27
Also with the Steelers: quarterbacks · running backs · receivers · Pittsburgh Steelers record book
Method
- Every tight end who played with the Steelers since 1966, ranked by receiving yards over his games there. Regular-season games only.
- The numbers here start in 1966, so a tight end who played with the Steelers before then isn't here.
- A decade counts his receiving yards with the Steelers in its seasons.