Advertisement

Mike Tomlin: We feel good about Pat Freiermuth's potential availability this week

It sounds like the Steelers are planning to have one of their key offensive weapons back when they take on the Browns this weekend.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference that he feels good about tight end Pat Freiermuth's potential return from a hamstring injury.

“We’ll watch him go through the week and look at the quality of his work and the amount of it and how he feels and let that be a determining factor,” Tomlin said. “But, [we] feel good about his potential availability.”

Freiermuth hasn’t played since the Week 4 loss to Houston. After catching 63 passes for 732 yards with two TDs last season, he has only eight catches for 53 yards with a pair of touchdowns in four games this year.

The Steelers still have to officially designate Freiermuth to return to begin his 21-day practice window, but with Tomlin's statement, it seems that’s likely to happen soon.

Tomlin also noted that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is “battling to come back to us with a hamstring” and the team will see how he does this week. Fitzpatrick has missed the last two games and did not practice last week.

Defensive tackle Montravius Adams (ankle) and safety Keanu Neal (rib) are also dealing with injuries that need to be monitored over the course of the week.

At some point in the coming days, the team will likely make a roster move with Kwon Alexander, Tomlin said. Alexander reportedly suffered a torn Achilles during Sunday’s win over the Packers.