Steelers notebook: Pat Freiermuth gets action in Week 1

ATLANTA — Two days after rewarding Pat Freiermuth with a five-year, $49.88 million contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed the fourth-year tight end will be a pivotal part of their offense.

Freiermuth had four catches for 27 yards Sunday in the Steelers’ 18-10 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Freiermuth and No. 1 receiver George Pickens (six catches, 85 yards) were the only players targeted more than two times in the game. With the Steelers lacking a true No. 2 receiving option, Freiermuth was expected to take on a larger role in the offense entering the season.

It was on display Sunday as he became a safety valve for quarterback Justin Fields. Two of his receptions went for first downs.

“We have the right personnel to succeed with the offense we run,” Freiermuth said.

In 2023, Freiermuth had more than three catches in a game just once — when he caught nine passes for 120 yards against Cincinnati the week after Matt Canada was fired as offensive coordinator.

“We were moving the ball, and we were a lot more efficient than in years past,” he said. “We were coming together. You could see that.”

Freiermuth headed to Atlanta this weekend armed with his new contract, one that will keep him with the Steelers through the 2028 season

“It’s a little stress relief,” he said. “It’s very exciting to get the long-term extension. With it happening Friday, I couldn’t do much celebrating. We’ll do that tonight. It will be awesome.”

Injury update

The Steelers likely will be in the market for a punter after Cameron Johnston exited his Steelers debut with what coach Mike Tomlin described as a “serious” injury. Johnston was hurt on a fourth-quarter attempt when a Falcons player rolled up on his leg after the ball was punted.

Johnston was helped off the field, and kicker Chris Boswell had to handle the punting duty when a penalty forced the Steelers to re-try the punt.

The Steelers signed Johnston to a three-year contract in free agency, and he showed his worth with several booming kicks in the preseason. He had a 58-yarder against the Falcons.

“It’s a shame for him,” Tomlin said. “This guy has been spectacular throughout team development. My heart goes out to him.”

Tomlin said second-year cornerback Darius Rush was being evaluated for a possible concussion. Cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson also left briefly with minor injuries but returned.

Holding down the fort

With Johnston sidelined, the Steelers were without their holder when Boswell was called on to attempt a 25-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining.

Wide receiver Scotty Miller got the assignment, and he handled Christian Kuntz’s snap without incident. Boswell’s field goal established the final margin.

“We worked on it this week just in case of a scenario like this because you always want to have a backup,” Boswell said. “I told him wherever you put it down, don’t move it, don’t touch it. I’ll figure out how to put it in.”

Much ado about kickoffs

The new “dynamic” kickoff rule didn’t translate into any exciting returns in the opener. Only two of the nine kickoffs were returned, both by the Falcons.

Signed as a kickoff return specialist, Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t get a chance to bring a ball out of the end zone as the Falcons were content to give the Steelers possession at the 30.

Boswell had two kickoffs that were returned to the 30 and 28 by former Steelers’ returner Ray-Ray McCloud.