The Pittsburgh Steelers are opening the 21-day practice window on tight end Pat Freiermuth and he is tracking to play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Freiermuth has been on injured reserve since Oct. 21. He initially suffered a hamstring injury Oct. 1 against the Houston Texans, missed the following game against the Baltimore Ravens and then was placed on IR after the Steelers’ bye. It opened a roster spot for wide receiver Diontae Johnson to come off injured reserve.
“We’ll watch him go through the week and look at the quality of his work and the amount of it and how he feels and let that be a determining factor, but feel good about his potential availability,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday about Freiermuth’s potential return.
Freiermuth, 25, a 2021 second-round pick by Pittsburgh, has eight receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns in four games this season.
The Steelers and Browns are tied for second place in the AFC North at 6-3, sitting a half-game behind the 7-3 Ravens.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.