Steelers activate Diontae Johnson, send Pat Freiermuth to IR

Good news and bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bad news first: Pat Freiermuth landed on injured reserve after re-aggravating his hamstring in practice on Friday. Good news: Diontae Johnson was activated from injured reserve and is expected to play on Sunday.

The #Steelers activated WR Diontae Johnson from IR to the active roster, but placed TE Pat Freiermuth on Injured Reserve after he re-injured his hamstring in practice.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 21, 2023

Offensively, Freiermuth was responsible for half the team’s touchdowns. He scored two of their five, while George Pickens had the other two. T.J. Watt had a scoop and score versus the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.

Johnson, still under the cloud of not scoring a touchdown since the 2021 season, will be expected to pick up the slack.

Freiermuth, who was excited about returning to play earlier this week, is the third Steeler out for multiple games with a hamstring. Johnson and running back Anthony McFarland suffered long-term hamstring injuries in Week 1. While he’s been designated to return, McFarland remains on injured reserve. He must be activated by November 5 or be out for the season but was a full practice participant on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.