Steelers need to correct TE debacle before facing Colts' Tyler Warren
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth isn’t the least bit surprised at the success Indianapolis Colts rookie Tyler Warren is having in his first NFL season at the position.
“They do a good job of setting him up on play action. Getting him out to the flat, getting him in space. Creating explosive plays. He’s having a good start to his rookie year,” Freiermuth said.
A fellow Penn State alum, Freiermuth knew Warren had NFL material early on in State College.
“Tyler is my boy. I hosted him on his official visit,” Freiermuth said. “He’s a really smart player. He played quarterback in high school. He has a natural feel for the game. He’s a big dude (6-foot-6, 256 pounds). He has been playing really good football. Super happy for him.”
Over his first eight games in the league, Warren is leading the 7-1 Colts with 492 receiving yards on 37 catches (three touchdowns). His yardage total is tops among NFL tight ends.
Tyler Warren
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— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 26, 2025
Now the Steelers have to figure out how to defend Warren. Based on how things went against Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft on Sunday night, that’s easier said than done. Kraft went off for seven catches, 143 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s not like Kraft was a surprise to the Steelers on their scouting report. Coach Mike Tomlin addressed his potential impact during his Tuesday press conference.
“Tucker at tight end is really significant,” Tomlin said. “He gets down the field. They throw him tight end screens. He’s big in the misdirection passing game. He’s just a force within their offensive system.”
Players in the Steelers’ locker room said Tomlin’s messaging on the topic was no different; they just didn’t follow through on the execution to cover him.
Linebacker Payton Wilson blamed an all too familiar problem with the 30th-ranked Steelers defense for what went wrong covering Kraft.
Communication issues.
“When the bullets are flying like that, sometimes there’s miscommunication,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to get in the film room. We’ve got to see and get on that. No tight end should be having that many yards — that many touchdowns — against us.”
Regardless of why it happened, safety Chuck Clark blamed himself for part of the reason why Kraft had such a big night.
“He’s a good player. He made some plays. He got me on one. I’m mad at that (expletive),” Clark said. “There are certain things that keep you up at night. That was definitely one of them. I don’t think I ever got beat like that for a touchdown in a game.”
HE DOES THIS ????
????: NBC pic.twitter.com/nCFxdO6PKk
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 27, 2025
As has been the case with many missteps surrounding the defense since early December of last season, identifying issues on that side of the ball has never been a problem.
Rare are the times when the defense has had a bad day, and Steelers players are walking away scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong.
Tackling. A minimized pass rush. Failure to cover. An inability to get off the field if sacks or turnovers weren’t involved.
And, oh yeah, that pesky word again: communication.
Throughout the season, the Steelers have struggled to contain the impact of top opposing pass-catching weapons. It’s a big reason why the defense is 30th in the league in yards allowed per game (386).
In New York, Garrett Wilson had seven catches, 95 yards and a touchdown. Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba went off for 103 yards on eight catches. Justin Jefferson posted 10 catches for 126 yards with Minnesota in Ireland. Tight end Harold Fannin, who leads the Browns with 38 catches and 352 yards, had seven receptions for 81 yards versus the Steelers.
And we all remember Ja’Marr Chase’s 16-catch, 161-yard performance against the Steelers in Cincinnati.
These are top-of-the-depth-chart guys. They aren’t sneaking up on anyone after film and scouting reports. Yet, the Steelers haven’t been able to scheme around those threats, or they just haven’t been able to cover them, even if the game plans have been sound.
Right now, it sounds like both things are a problem.
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Unless the Steelers get their act together defensively, those problems could prove to be “catastrophic” against a Colts team that leads the NFL in both scoring (33.8 points per game) and yards per game (385.3).
“When things start going south, they really start going south,” Wilson said. “We can’t ride that roller coaster of emotions. When the defense is on the field, we’ve just got to do our job the whole game. It can’t be one quarter, one good drive … and then the rest of the game. We have to do it the whole game.”
That sounds good. Everything the Steelers defense always says about itself sounds good.
Now it’s time to actually start playing well.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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