Pat Freiermuth injury reportedly not serious, avoids surgery

The Pittsburgh Steelers won their Week 18 game vs. the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, but the 28-14 win wasn’t enough to erase all concern as the team prepares for what could be a very long offseason. The main reason for concern was watching their talented second-year tight end Pat Freiermuth be helped off the field with a knee injury.

After the Steelers initially ruled him out of the game, the worst-case scenario was Freiermuth would need surgery and enter the offseason not just trying to rest and recover, but also to rehabilitate after a potential surgery.

Monday, it is being reported that Freiermuth’s injury was a sprain, and would not need surgery. This per Mark Kaboly of The Athletic:

In his second season with the Steelers, Freiermuth finished third on the Steelers in receiving with 732 yards on 63 receptions from 98 targets. Freiermuth also added two receiving touchdowns on the season. Freiermuth saw a significant yardage increase from his rookie season where he had 497 receiving yards on 60 receptions, but had seven receiving touchdowns in 2021.

The Steelers now can rest easy knowing their tight end won’t need the once feared surgery, and instead can plan on having him healthy and ready-to-go for the start of the 2023 slate of offseason activities.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the beginning of the offseason.