After head coach Mike Tomlin said he felt good about Pat Freiermuth's chances of playing this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are opening the 21-day practice window for their tight end. If all goes well during practice throughout the week, Freiermuth should suit up on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, according to Adam Schefter.

Freiermuth missed the last five games with a hamstring injury and was out for a total of six weeks. It was the first time he missed consecutive games in his NFL career having played in all but two across his first two seasons.

Freiermuth's production took a massive hit this season after he recorded eight receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns in four starts before the injury. The third-year tight end is averaging 13.3 receiving yards per game, way down from the 45.8 yards per game he carried in 2022.

After scoring seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2021, Freiermuth established himself as one of the top targets for quarterback Kenny Pickett in 2022. He nearly hit the century mark in targets, notching 732 yards on 63 receptions.

Steelers finding their rhythm?

Though there likely isn’t any correlation, the Steelers improved to 4-1 without Freiermuth and 6-3 overall following another close win in Week 10. Pittsburgh continues the remarkable trend of being outgained by every opponent this year, yet they have a winning record and are right in the middle of an intriguing AFC North battle. The division is currently the only one to boast four teams with a winning record.

Despite his lackluster performance throughout the first month of the season, the Steelers will welcome back Pat Freiermuth with open arms and should find ways to integrate more into the offense. Pittsburgh needs to get the passing game going if they want to stick in the playoff race and having a reliable tight end is crucial to that.

Barring a setback in the next four days, the Steelers should see their starting tight end back in the huddle on Sunday.