Through three NFL seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has made plenty of plays. Even during last year’s down 2023 campaign, he played a key role in an early-season win over the Las Vegas Raiders and went off in the first game post-Matt Canada, catching 9 passes for 120 yards in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But he recently admitted there are two guys who have given him fits. In a Barstool Sports segment where personality “Marty Mush” attempted to cover Freiermuth on the field, Freiermuth briefly discussed the two guys who have given him trouble.
“Fred Warner, for sure,” Freiermuth said. “He’s a pretty good dude. And then Kyle Hamilton. He’s a beast. He’s really good.”
Freiermuth saw Warner to open up last season. It became a rout by the San Francisco 49ers, Warner and company holding the Steelers to just 7 points. Freiermuth was on the receiving end of that score, a 3-yard catch late in the half, but it was his only reception of the day and came against LB Dre Greenlaw, not Warner.
Warner put on a dominant performance in all facets. He finished with 8 tackles (1 for a loss) with a pass deflection. His best rep came early in the game, knifing through to blow up this failed Steelers’ zone run. After the game, he called it a tone-setting play.
On another end zone target, Warner blanketed Freiermuth for an incompletion. There was a lot of contact and potential miscommunication but Warner, like the 49ers’ defense, tightened things up when the plays mattered most.
Freiermuth suffered a chest injury during the game, one of two early-year ailments that hampered him. He’d later miss five games due to a hamstring injury.
Because of the injury and the Baltimore Ravens resting starters in the regular season finale, Freiermuth didn’t face Hamilton last season. But the two squared off in the 2022 matchups. Freiermuth combined to record 6 receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown as the teams split the season series.
Just two years in the league, Hamilton has already established himself as one of the NFL’s top safeties with the size to match up on tight ends and run with them downfield. Freiermuth and Hamilton will resume their battles when the Steelers and Ravens play in Weeks 11 and 16.
