The Pittsburgh Steelers are planning to activate Pat Freiermuth off IR ahead of their game with the Cleveland Browns, per a report by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
Freiermuth has missed the last five games with a hamstring injury he suffered in Week Four against the Houston Texans. He was having a relatively quiet season in the early going, with just eight catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns. But his return means Pittsburgh will have their offense together on the field fully healthy for the first time since Week One, and that should provide a lift to QB Kenny Pickett, who hasn’t played all that well this year. Freiermuth’s return should hopefully lead to more targets over the middle of the field, an area the Steelers have neglected to utilize.
Freiermuth’s 21-day window to return was opened on Wednesday, and he logged some form of practice every day this week, including full practices on Thursday and Friday.
Freiermuth’s Instagram story on Friday alluded that he was ready to return.
Currently, no corresponding move is needed as the Steelers sit at 52 players on their 53-man roster. However, if the Steelers bring three players up off the practice squad as expected, another move will have to be made. The Steelers are expected to elevate or sign Trenton Thompson, Mykal Walker, and Tariq Carpenter off the practice squad, and since the team is limited to just two elevations per week, another move would need to happen for all three to come up.
Freiermuth’s return means TE Connor Heyward will go back into more of a reserve role, as he had taken over as the primary pass catcher at tight end in recent weeks. While Freiermuth has had his struggles as a blocker this season, there’s no doubt that he’s an upgrade in the pass-catching department for Pittsburgh. With the team struggling to move the ball through the air, his return could wind up being important as the Steelers look to make a run down the stretch.
He was also a red zone target for the Steelers and QB Kenny Pickett when healthy, as he did have two touchdowns. Pickett hasn’t found the end zone through the air much this season, but maybe having a big target in Freiermuth back in the lineup and healthy can boost Pittsburgh’s red zone touchdown percentage.
