Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth Shares Mike Tomlin’s Message Before Pivotal Colts Matchup
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be coming at a crossroads in their 2025 season. Although the team finds themselves in first place of the AFC North at the end of October, the Steelers have lost consecutive games. The team will also host the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 to begin November.
But there’s no panic with head coach Mike Tomlin or in the Steelers locker room. In an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports this week, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth shared that, even as the sky is falling on the outside, Tomlin is keeping his message simple to his players.
“Just staying on the same page. Obviously, we’re not where we want to be right now performance wise,” Freiermuth told Heavy Sports on Tuesday. “But we think the positive of it is everyone in the locker room shows up every single day and works their tail off to become better.
“We have a very close locker room. In situations like this, it tells a lot about the kind of guys you have in the locker room and the kind of guys you have on the team.
“We have a lot of good guys that are here for the right causes.”
The Steelers have been very active in free agency in recent years. In some ways, that’s been a breath of fresh air because it’s allowed the team to fill needs more immediately.
However, there is a potential downside to more free agency signings. It’s harder to be closer to teammates who join the organization for big money.
That’s not a problem in Pittsburgh, though, according to the veteran tight end.
Aaron Rodgers is the Right QB to Get Steelers Back on Track
The Steelers will turn to one of the biggest free agent names in the franchise’s history to try and end a two-game skid this Sunday — that’s 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In eight weeks with the Steelers, Rodgers has dispelled the poor teammate narrative the media has tagged him with throughout his career. But Freiermuth sees Rodgers’ 21 years in the NFL as one of the most important traits for the team to get back on track.
“It’s very valuable,” the tight end said of Rodgers’ experience. “I mean, No. 8’s seen it all. He’s been on Super Bowl winning teams. He’s been on 9-8 teams.
“So, for us to be able to lean on him for those experiences and him sharing in the wisdom for the young guys in the offense, it’s been big time.”
But it won’t just be Rodgers or even defensive captains T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward that will be key for the Steelers going forward. It could take all of Pittsburgh’s veteran leadership to knocked off Indianapolis, who enters Sunday with the NFL’s No. 1 offense.
Freiermuth is confident in all of the Steelers leaders.
“When you go on these kind of skids of a two-game losing streak and you need to get a bounce back win against a really good Colts team, you know you’ve got to lean on your leadership, and I think we have some very good leaders on the team,” he said.
Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth Spearheading Blood Drive Donations
Freiermuth is a leader in his own right — on and away from the football field. This fall, the tight end is battling blood shortages with the second season of “The We Give Blood Drive.”
The global health leader Abbott and the Big Ten Conference created the blood drive campaign as a competition. The Big Ten school that donates the most blood will receive $1 million from Abbott to advance student and community health initiatives.
Freiermuth is campaigning for Big Ten fans, students and alumni to donate blood. He is especially pushing for Penn State students and alumni to make donations.
The Steelers tight end played at Penn State from 2018-20.
“It’s super big because there’s a blood shortage,” Freiermuth said. “Every two seconds in the United States, people need blood. So this is obviously important. With the blood shortage, I’m encouraging people to donate blood.”
Donations will be accepted through December 5. The Big Ten will announce the winning school at the conference’s championship game on December 6.
To sign up to donate blood for a particular school, visit BigTen.Org/Abbott.
Eagles RB Named Philly’s Top Trade Candidate Heading Into Deadline
The Philadelphia Eagles might soon have more running backs than touches to go around, and A.J. Dillon’s name is quietly surfacing as a potential trade candidate before the 2025 deadline.
Philadelphia’s 38–20 victory over the New York Giants in Week 8 gave the league a glimpse of what the Eagles’ backfield could look like moving forward. New addition Tank Bigsby, who had just one carry before Sunday, erupted for 104 yards on nine attempts — that’s an eye-opening 11.6 yards per carry — while Saquon Barkley added 150 yards and a receiving touchdown.
The performance likely settled any lingering questions about Bigsby’s place in the rotation — he’s RB2 now — and it may have also made Dillon expendable, as ESPN named Dillon the team’s top trade candidate.
“Tank Bigsby’s emergence in recent weeks (he rushed for over 100 yards against the Giants after Philly traded for himin September) has pushed Dillon down to fourth on the depth chart behind Saquon Barkley, Bigsby and Will Shipley,” Tim McManus of ESPN wrote on October 29. “Dillon has been solid for Philadelphia this season, but there’s not much of a role for him currently.”
More on Why the Philadelphia Eagles Could Trade RB A.J. Dillon After Tank Bigsby’s Breakout
GettyRB AJ Dillon could be a trade candidate for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Through Week 8, Dillon has just 12 carries for 60 yards and two receptions for 18 more. His touches have been sporadic, spread across a handful of appearances — three carries here, a catch there — with no touchdowns to show for it. He’s healthy now, but his role in the offense has yet to materialize in a meaningful way.
Health, of course, has been a storyline for Dillon since he missed the entire 2024 season with a neck injury. Once one of the league’s more promising power backs in Green Bay, he joined the Eagles in March on a one-year deal worth roughly $1.34 million, including $167,500 guaranteed. Dillon has held up physically this fall, but opportunity may soon dry up behind Barkley, Bigsby and Will Shipley.
Barkley is entrenched as the starter, Bigsby just had a 100-yard game and Dillon is an unrestricted free agent after the season. With Shipley also waiting in the wings, it makes sense to see if another club is willing to take a flier on the 247-pound veteran.
The return would be paltry — likely a seventh-rounder — but it’s better than nothing.
Which Teams Might Be Interested in Adding Dillon?
There are several teams who could use reinforcements in their respective RB rooms. The Los Angeles Chargers, for instance, lost Najee Harris to a season-ending Achilles injury and placed first-round pick Omarion Hampton on injured reserve earlier this month. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has been rotating backs from the practice squad, but Dillon’s physical style could help.
The Kansas City Chiefs are another team worth considering. With Isiah Pacheco expected to miss the upcoming matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs could be in the market for a temporary reinforcement — particularly one who won’t require financial strings beyond this season. Dillon meets that criteria.
The Chicago Bears are another option. They currently have former Eagle D’Andre Swift leading the backfield, but they could use some depth at RB, as well.
For Dillon, a change of scenery might also be welcomed at this point. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry during his years with the Packers, and he’s still capable of contributing somewhere. Based on what Bigsby is showing, though, Dillon may have to contribute somewhere else.
