With TE Pat Freiermuth listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, it appears that the Pittsburgh Steelers expect to have a fully healthy receiving corps for the first time since the 2023 season opener.
Freiermuth has logged consecutive days as a full participant in practice with Mike DeFabo of The Athletic speculating that he should be fine to play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Freiermuth had been on IR for the previous four games after injuring his hamstring during the Houston Texans game. He then suffered a setback in practice while attempting to work back from the ailment, causing him to miss Pittsburgh’s last five games. Freiermuth joins WRs Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson II, and Calvin Austin III as well as TEs Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward to give Pittsburgh a fully stocked arsenal of weapons in the passing game.
The whole unit played only a half together at the start of the season before Johnson went down with a hamstring injury himself against the San Francisco 49ers, going on IR to take time to properly recover from the injury. He returned in Week Seven against the Los Angeles Rams and has played well since, going over 79 receiving yards in three of his last four games. With Freiermuth back into the lineup this weekend, QB Kenny Pickett will have his full allotment of weapons for the first time since the season started.
Frankly, Pickett needs all the help he can get as the second-year quarterback has underwhelmed so far this season. The Steelers sit at a 6-3 record while Pickett has completed 61.3% of his pass attempts, throwing for 1,616 yards and six touchdowns and four interceptions through nine games. He is averaging 179 yards per game through the air with a quarterback rating of 36.3, according to Pro Football Reference.
It hasn’t been all bad from Pickett, though as the second-year passer has led numerous game-winning drives this season like he did at the end of 2022, coming alive late in the fourth quarter to engineer a drive to put Pittsburgh on top in the final minutes of the game. Still, many have questioned how Pittsburgh keeps winning with Pickett disappearing for large portions of games, if not the whole game like last weekend. Against the Green Bay Packers, he only mustered 126 passing yards and zero scores, the Steelers relying on the running game to go over 200 yards and the defense to get a couple key turnovers to secure the victory.
Heading into this weekend’s game against the Browns, Pickett has little room for excuses. The offensive line is playing great now that rookie Broderick Jones has supplanted Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle. The running game has been running on all cylinders the last two weeks with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren looking like a backfield tandem to be feared. OC Matt Canada’s move to the sideline has provided good early results as Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on its first two drives last weekend, the first time that’s happened in years. The receiving corps is at full strength, ready to attack defenses at all levels of the field thanks to the various skill sets the Steelers’ pass catchers have.
Cleveland may have the top-ranked pass defense in the league along with a daunting defensive front to rush the passer, but Pickett should be able to have one of his better games of the season on Sunday. He has all the tools to make it happen as well as a running game and defense that have been playing complementary football the last couple of weeks. If Pickett wants to silence his critics, going into the Dawg Pound Sunday and putting together a strong performance from start to finish with the best supporting cast he’s had this season would be a good way to do it.
