Pittsburgh Steelers activate Pat Freiermuth, place Keanu Neal on IR ahead of Browns game

Kenny Pickett and the Steelers offense likely are welcoming back Pat Freiermuth with appreciative arms. On Saturday, Pittsburgh activated the tight end to the active roster.

And for Freiermuth, it’s been awhile since he last saw a snap. Given that Pittsburgh faces Cleveland in a key AFC North division game, the offense can use any and all help.

The Steelers shared the news Saturday afternoon. They also made other roster tweaks ahead of their road game against the Browns. The team placed Keanu Neal on injured reserve. The safety suffered a rib injury last Sunday in the win over the Packers. He didn’t practice all week. He’ll now be out a minimum of four games.

The Steelers also signed linebacker Mykal Walker to the active roster. They then promoted linebacker Tariq Carpenter and safety Trenton Thompson from the practice squad to the active list. The Steelers have suffered some significant injuries at linebacker, with the team recently losing Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb for the season.

We have activated TE Pat Freiermuth from the Reserve/Injured List to the active roster, signed LB Mykal Walker to the active roster, elevated LB Tariq Carpenter & S Trenton Thompson to the Active/Inactive roster from the practice squad, & placed S Keanu Neal on the…

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 18, 2023

Freiermuth went through full practices Thursday and Friday

Freiermuth returned to practice on Wednesday, when the Steelers opened the 21-day window for his return to the active list. But they needed to be deliberate in getting the third-year tight end from Penn State back to action. He strained his hamstring, Oct. 1, during an upset loss at the Houston Texans.

The injury didn’t appear that serious at the time. The tight end returned to practice, then aggravated the strain again. That’s the problem with a hamstring injury. If the tendon isn’t completely healed, it’s easier for a reinjury. The Steelers then placed him on IR. In all, he’s missed the past five games. He particiated in full practices Thursday and Friday.

The Steelers and Browns are both 6-3. But Pittsburgh should be the favorite, given that Cleveland is starting rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Three days after Deshaun Watson engineered an upset of the division-leading Ravens, the Browns announced he’d need season-ending shoulder surgery.

Pittsburgh had eight players on its injured list headed into Sunday. Conversely, the Browns listed 13 players.

Pittsburgh Steelers injury list

Player	Position	Injury	Wed	Thu	Fri	Game Status
Diontae Johnson	WR	Thumb	DNP	FP	FP	Unspecified
Patrick Peterson	CB	NIR – Resting	DNP	(-)	(-)	Unspecified
Keanu Neal	S	Rib	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Minkah Fitzpatrick	FS	Hamstring	DNP	DNP	DNP	Unspecified
Montravius Adams	DT	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Unspecified
Isaac Seumalo	G	NIR – Resting	DNP	(-)	(-)	Unspecified
Pat Freiermuth	TE	Hamstring	LP	FP	FP	Unspecified
Cameron Heyward	DT	Groin	DNP	LP	LP	Unspecified