"Disappearance of Pat Freiermuth is puzzling": Insider sounds alarm on Mike Tomlin's strange handling of $48,400,000 TE amid offensive struggles

By Chaitanya Prakash

Modified Oct 07, 2025 14:47 GMT

NFL: Dublin Game-Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers - Source: Imagn — Insider sounds alarm on Mike Tomlin's strange handling of $48,400,000 TE amid offensive struggles - Source: Imagn

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has made a slow start to the season despite the team leading the AFC North with a 3-1 record after four weeks.

Freiermuth has not been at his usual best and it is largely because he has seen limited snaps this season. He had 15 snaps against the Minnesota Vikings in the Week 4 clash and has logged just 112 snaps for the season.

NFL insider Gerry Dulac has been puzzled by Freiermuth's limited role this season, sounding alarm bells over Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's game plan.

“The disappearance of Freiermuth is puzzling," Dulac said. "We saw it even last year, to a degree, and now even more so. This is a guy they signed to a decent contract to be, if nothing else, maybe their No. 2 receiver.

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"And now he’s barely even getting enough playing time. That’s just puzzling to me, and I think they have to find a way to get him more involved in this offense. Because he’s as reliable a receiver as you’re going to get.”

Pat Freiermuth was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft and signed a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension with the team last September.

Steelers' inclination towards running game leads to Pat Freiermuth's limited role

Pat Freiermuth's massive extension makes his limited role even more puzzling. However, the former Penn State TE seems content with the game plan of running the ball, especially with the decision to keep him on the bench against the Vikings.

"That was part of the game plan and we ran the ball really well," Freiermuth said. "We had a fantastic game, and we won the game, so I was super pumped for Darnell [Washington] and [Spencer Anderson]."

Freiermuth has seven receptions for 65 yards without any touchdowns, a stark contrast to his career-best seven TDs last season. He is unlikely to see more action unless Pittsburgh decides to make him a focal point for its passing game, which has not been the case after four weeks.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Steelers Fans! Check out the latest Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule and dive into the Steelers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash