Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, who was initially expected to miss 2-3 weeks due to a hamstring injury suffered in Week 4, is now facing a longer absence. According to NFL Media, Freiermuth aggravated his hamstring injury during Thursday’s practice and underwent an MRI on Friday morning. As a result, he will be unavailable for this Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, and his return to action has been postponed.
Freiermuth, who will celebrate his 25th birthday next week, sat out the Steelers’ Week 5 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, and the team had a bye week in Week 6. In the four games he has played this season, Freiermuth has caught eight passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite entering the 2023 season as CBS Sports’ seventh-ranked tight end, based on his impressive 2022 performance of 63 receptions for 732 yards and two scores, Freiermuth, like the Pittsburgh offense as a whole, has struggled this season. While he had a solid outing with three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown in the Week 3 win against the Las Vegas Raiders, he has failed to record more than seven receiving yards in any other game.
In Freiermuth’s absence, tight ends Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward are expected to continue their roles. Currently, the Steelers offense ranks as the third-worst in the league in total yards per game (268.2) and points per game (16.5).
