One of the Pittsburgh Steelers' top weapons in the passing game is expected to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6.
Despite being deemed questionable in what was a late entry to the injury report with a calf injury, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has reported that the Steelers are optimistic tight end Pat Freiermuth will suit up vs. Tampa Bay.
The #Steelers are optimistic that TE Pat Freiermuth, who was added to the injury report with a calf injury on Saturday, will play, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 18, 2026
With DK Metcalf (illness) having been removed from the injury report while Rico Dowdle (toe) is also expected to be active for the first time since Week 2, Pittsburgh has finally received some positive news on the injury front as it looks to move to 4-2 on the season.
Freiermuth's 2026 Campaign So Far
The connection between Freiermuth and Aaron Rodgers during the latter's first season as a Steeler in 2025 never seemed to fully come together.
That isn't to say Freiermuth wasn't productive, as he did finish the year with 486 yards and four touchdowns, but those numbers represeted a noticeable drop-off from the 653 yards and seven scores he posted in the 2024 campaign.
There were signs that the rapport between Rodgers and Freiermuth was growing in a new offensive system during the summer, though, and that's translated to an extent through the first five weeks of the season.
Freiermuth has posted 169 yards thus far, meaning he's on pace for rough 575 yards over 17 games, and he's also already matched his touchdown total from 2025 with four.
He's been more involved as a whole in Mike McCarthy's offense than he was in Arthur Smith's last year too, playing 69 percent of the team's snaps after being on the field for 51 percent of them in 2025 (per Pro Football Reference).
Freiermuth Can Help Mask WR Issues
With both Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) and Roman Wilson (finger) on the reserve/injured list while Ben Skowronek (calf) is out against the Buccaneers, Pittsburgh's wide receiver depth will be tested in a major way moving forward.
Rookie Germie Bernard is certainly capable of handling an elevated role, as evidenced by his 80-yard performance in the team's Week 5 win over the Indianapolis Colts, though Kaden Wetjen is the only other healthy receiver on the 53-man roster beyond him and Metcalf. Wetjen has yet to play an offensive snap in his rookie year, however.
The Steelers elevated a pair of receivers in Brandon Smith and Brandon Johnson from their practice squad ahead of their matchup with Tampa Bay. Smith logged 16 offensive snaps after coming up from the practice squad vs. the Colts, though it might be tough for the team to rely heavily on him in the passing game.
Whether it's inline or from the slot, Freiermuth can help make up for Pittsburgh's absences at receiver as a proven playmaker from the tight end position who offers a potential mismatch.
Whether it's in 11 personnel with three receivers on the field or 12 personnel, where he'd be out there at the same time as Darnell Washington, Freiermuth can move around a bit and be a top target for Rodgers who can help pick up the slack for the time being.
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