PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Last week wide receiver Diontae Johnson said 'hell ya' he will return against the Rams. As the Steelers return from the bye week, they will also have Pat Freiermuth back.
Freiermuth said he was able to practice and is excited to be back out there. Much like with Dan Moore, the first thought was the starting tight end would miss multiple games. He said he was helped by the timing of the week off, saying he probably wouldn't be able to go last Sunday if the Steelers had played.
Counted on to be a big contributor this season, the third-year tight end has only eight catches for 53 yards, although a quarter of his receptions are for touchdowns. In 2022, Freiermuth had 732 yards receiving on 63 catches and his rookie year caught seven touchdowns, it was hoped those stats would be married this year. Add into that his relationship with Kenny Pickett and his willingness to use the tight end.
Freiermuth believes himself and the offense can get back to what we were seeing more in training camp and less of what we saw through the first five games. After four touchdowns in four first-team drives in the preseason, the team is averaging only 15.8 points a game and that is bolstered by a pair of defensive touchdowns.
"We just got to continue to watch film and hold onto the little details," Freiermuth said. "The plays are there, we just have to lean on each other and make them."
Putting Freiermuth back on the field with Johnson and added strength to the offensive line should make them better. They still have a way to go and will be challenged by a Rams defense led by Aaron Donald on Sunday. Los Angeles allowed only nine points in a win over the Cardinals on Sunday, held the Bengals to a touchdown and are 10th in the league in scoring defense.
