Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth Dealing With Lingering Injury

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have hit a wall in their production this season, as their talent, coaching, and health have all seemed to falter in recent weeks.

After weeks where it seemed to bounce between either the offense or the defense playing quite well, the last couple of weeks have been tumultuous at best and have the Steelers staring at a possible .500 record on the horizon.

When it comes to health, it appears the Steelers will have to add another cornerstone to their team's list of players who have been ailing up to this point in the season. According to Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is dealing with an injury, with the designation being a quad bruise.

The injury seemed to occur during the Steelers' last game, when Freiermuth was tackled and hit on his leg, limping off the field. He did return during the game, but did little in terms of production for the remainder of the contest.

Per Farabaugh, the injury should be viewed as more of a soreness than anything long-term, and he is expected to play against the Colts this weekend.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) runs for a touchdown as Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle (27) attempts to stop him in the fourth quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It is possible that the Steelers opt to use their other tight ends more in their matchup, but they have already been spreading out the tight end touches pretty liberally, so the impact may be less apparent.

Freiermuth So Far This Year

Freiermuth is currently in the midst of a down season, which has come from a mix of factors. Firstly, it seems he is not one of the favorite targets of the current Steelers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. That leads to his touches being down in comparison to years past. He is also now in the deepest tight end room of his career. Himself, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward have all made significant contributions, so he has had trouble getting involved.

The Steelers will need to play their best offense possible in the next couple of games, as it represents a crossroads for the team in terms of whether they are contenders for the playoffs. With the defense not performing to standard or cost, the offense will need to be operating well in spite of a disappointing defense. If it is either unhealthy or not playing to standard, it would not be far-fetched to see the team opt to use him less down the stretch if the offense is operating well without him.

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