Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth shared his expectations for the 2022 season. “I should be more in the range of 800, 900 (season) yards, so I think I definitely need to get (yards/reception) higher and want to push the ball down the field,” Freiermuth said. As a rookie, the Penn State product posted 497 yards at just 8.3 yards per catch. Eric Ebron departed this offseason, while Pittsburgh only added rookie Connor Heyward in Round 6. Increased production is likely for Freiermuth, but current projections have the TE falling shy of the 800-900-yard range.

The Steelers on Saturday placed TE Eric Ebron on IR. He's dealing with a knee injury that's been reported as potentially season-ending, so this isn't a surprising move. It does officially knock him out for at least the next 3 games, though. Pittsburgh also elevated WR Anthony Miller from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Bengals. We'll see whether Miller can claim a significant role.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Bengals. He’s expected to miss “extended time” with this injury. Ebron’s absence should mean a playing-time boost for TE Pat Freiermuth.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron is expected to need knee surgery and miss "extended time," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports. Ebron is getting a 2nd opinion on the injured knee before going under the knife. His absence would be excellent news for TE Pat Freiermuth, who posted 68% and 73% routes rates in his last 2 games without Ebron.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron injured his knee in the 4th quarter of Sunday night's loss to the Chargers. We'll see about the severity. TE Pat Freiermuth saw a bump in playing time when Ebron missed Weeks 8 and 9.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron (hamstring) isn’t listed on the final injury report, putting him on track to play vs. the Lions on Sunday for the first time since Week 6. Ebron isn’t a fantasy option but could be a slight drain on TE Pat Freiermuth’s production. The rookie remains a low-end TE1 play this week.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron (ankle) is out for Monday night's game against the Bears. That can only help the playing time and usage for rookie TE Pat Freiermuth, who has drawn 7 targets in each of Pittsburgh's past 2 games.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron (hamstring) returned to a limited practice on Friday. That gives him a shot to play vs. the Bears on Monday night. We'll get another update on Ebron tomorrow. He's not a fantasy option, but his return would put a dent in TE Pat Freiermuth's projection.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron (hamstring) remained sidelined on Thursday. He doesn't look particularly likely to return for Monday night's game vs. the Bears. Ebron's absence would be good news for TE Pat Freiermuth.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron is out for this weekend’s game against the Browns after injuring his hamstring in Thursday’s practice. Ebron had already fallen behind TE Pat Freiermuth on the target totem pole. But Ebron’s absence is a slight boost to Freiermuth’s Week 8 outlook.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron was added to the injury report and limited in Thursday's practice with a hamstring. Ebron hasn't been a fantasy factor this season, but his absence is Sunday's game vs. the Browns would be a slight boost to TE Pat Freiermuth.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron (hamstring) isn’t listed on the final Week 2 injury report. He was sidelined on Thursday but returned to a full practice on Friday. Ebron is splitting pass-catching duties with TE Pat Freiermuth and isn’t a recommended fantasy play vs. the Raiders this weekend.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron missed Thursday's practice with a hamstring. It's a new injury and has Ebron looking iffy for this weekend's game vs. the Raiders. His absence would likely mean a big boost in playing time for rookie TE Pat Freiermuth.

NFL insider Albert Breer believes Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is "trending towards a real role" after attending training camp. "Freiermuth was a monster Saturday," Breer tweeted. "Catches everything." Rookie TEs are generally poor bets in fantasy football. And Freiermuth faces stiff target competition in TE Eric Ebron and WRs Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster. But, if nothing else, his presence is a reason to only view Ebron as a lower-end TE2. We'll see if Freiermuth can work his way on to the fantasy radar.

Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth went to Steelers in the 2nd round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Freiermuth delivered early at Penn State, ranking 2nd among 2018 Nittany Lions in catches, yards and TDs -- trailing only Broncos WR K.J. Hamler. Freiermuth again ranked 2nd on the team in each category as a sophomore, earning team offensive MVP honors over Hamler. He got off to an even hotter start in 2020 but went down early with a shoulder injury that required surgery. That recovery could impact his rookie-year preparation, but we’ve learned to not expect early fantasy returns from TEs. Long term, Freiermuth looks like the clear 2nd TE in a weak draft class at the position. His combo of blocking and receiving should earn him a regular role -- and perhaps a full starting gig -- within the next couple of seasons. In Pittsburgh, Freiermuth figures to start out behind Eric Ebron, who’s only signed through 2021.

The Steelers have promoted QB coach Matt Canada to OC. The 48-year-old had been in that previous role for just 1 season, spending the rest of his coaching career in the college ranks. Canada had 9 different OC stints, most recently with LSU in 2017 and Maryland in 2018. Those teams ranked 76th and 69th, respectively, in points per game.

The Steelers are parting ways with OC Randy Fichtner, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Fichtner has been with the team since 2007, taking over as OC in 2018. The Steelers offense struggled mightily down the stretch this season, averaging just 22.1 points and 347 yards over the final 7 games. There were also whispers of a bit of a power struggle between Fichtner and QB Ben Roethlisberger. We'll see who the Steelers tab as their next OC -- and if Roethlisberger returns for 2021.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron has been activated from the COVID list. So he'll be back for Sunday night's Wild Card game vs. Cleveland's 31st-ranked TE defense.

Steelers TE Eric Ebron has been placed on the COVID list. He's out for Sunday's game against the Browns and will likely miss Pittsburgh's postseason opener next week if he tested positive for the virus. We'll update his status when we know more.

Update: Ebron is believed to be a close contact of CB Joe Haden, who tested positive, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. So, barring a positive test, Ebron will be eligible to return next weekend.