Like every team, the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster continues to undergo change. On Saturday, Pittsburgh's roster changed again when the team activated tight end Pat Freiermuth while placing safety Keanu Neal on injured reserve.
In corresponding moves, the team added linebacker Mykal Walker to the active roster while elevating linebacker Tariq Carpenter and safety Trenton Thompson to the active/inactive roster from the practice squad.
Freiermuth has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Pittsburgh's Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans. A 2021 second-round pick, Freiermuth's absence has contributed to the Steelers ranking 29th in the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes through nine games.
A former standout at Penn State, Freiermuth caught seven touchdown passes as a rookie while helping the Steelers make the playoffs during Ben Roethlisberger's final season. He set career highs with 63 catches for 732 yards last season despite the Steelers changing quarterbacks during the season.
Freiermuth has already caught as many touchdown passes this year (two) as he did all of last season.
Neal, who has been splitting starting strong safety duties with Damontae Kazzee, sustained an injury to his ribs during the Steelers' Week 10 win over the Packers. Neal had a big interception late in the game while helping Pittsburgh preserve its 23-19 lead.
While Freiermuth is expected to play, Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will miss his third straight game as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury. Fellow defensive back Keanu Neal (rib) and interior defensive lineman Montravius Adams (ankle) are also out.
Pittsburgh's last two wins came at a cost. The Steelers lost both starting inside linebacker Cole Holcomb (knee) and Kwon Alexander (Achilles) to season-ending injuries over that span. With both players out, Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson are slated to fill their spots in the starting lineup.
The Steelers recently added depth at ILB with the signing of Tyler Murray, an undrafted rookie who was working a shift at Amazon when the Steelers reached out to his agent earlier this week.