A stat of the weird even before Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns kicks off — 20. The number 20.
That’s not just the likely high of either team’s point total today. It’s the number of snaps WRs George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and TE Pat Freiermuth have been on the field for this season. That number will finally tick up today.
Of course, all 20 of those snaps came in Week One. Then Johnson hurt his hamstring on the opening play of the third quarter, out of action until Week Seven. Freiermuth went down with his own hamstring injury in Week Four, attempted to return with Johnson for Week Seven but suffered a setback and was relegated to IR, missing the next month. Officially activated off it yesterday, he’ll make his return this afternoon.
For Mike Tomlin, having Freiermuth back is beyond just having a top weapon for QB Kenny Pickett to throw to. His return opens up all areas of the passing game. In the latest episode of his Mike Tomlin Show, he agreed with host Bob Pompeani that missing Freiermuth was a significant issue for the Steelers’ passing game.
“It’s really significant,” Tomlin told Pompeani. “You talk about matchups on the interior parts of the field. People are able to play split-safety defenses and put a lot of pressure on our outside receivers. Balance is good. It’s good for all parties involved. It’s good for a guy like Kenny that has to distribute the ball.”
Prior to his injury, Freiermuth’s usage was surprisingly low, catching just eight passes over the first three-and-half games of the season. His only saving grace was the pair of touchdowns he caught the few times Pittsburgh entered the red zone early in the season. With his return, that needs to change, and the Steelers need to target all areas of the field. While injured, the team lacked great interior targets. WR Allen Robinson II is doing what’s asked of him, a blocking possession receiver who catches the occasional third down pass while Calvin Austin III hasn’t had a clear role since Johnson’s return.
It’s the reason why Pickett literally did not have an attempt in the middle of the field in last Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers, a stat that baffled J.J. Watt.
It’s no secret Pittsburgh’s strength is its outside passing game. But the Tennessee Titans, for example, played a ton of two-high looks against the Steelers, helping to take away Johnson and Pickens, though the Packers didn’t seem to employ the same game plan.
Still, there’s no question Freiermuth’s return is a positive for the running game even if they’ll have to work around his below-the-line run blocking as Pittsburgh’s ground game has gotten on track. Freiermuth doesn’t need huge numbers, but he’ll need to make timely plays on third down, in the red zone, and potentially late in what’s shaping up to be a close game.
