Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 season is over, the team finishing above .500 but failing to make the postseason, we turn our attention to the offseason and everything that means. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on broader contexts, reflecting on a player’s development, either positively or negatively, over the course of the season. Other evaluations will reflect only one immediate event or trend. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: TE Darnell Washington
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: While the rookie tight end was drafted primarily because of his ability to excel as a blocker with the potential for receiving upside, he did draw some positive attention in the latter area during the Steelers’ spring practices.
I don’t know how much Pittsburgh might be open to using Darnell Washington, the rookie tight end, in the receiving game this year. I don’t know how well he would be able to handle a larger role in that area right now as a rookie.
What I do know, however, is that he seems to be a harsher critic with respect to that element of his game than are outside observers. While he knocked himself for the inconsistency of his route running and vowed to keep working at it, reporters who had access to the practices, such as Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, came away surprised at how well he handled it.
Granted, it could be pointed out that Zach Gentry and Kevin Rader were also drawing praise for their receiving skills last year during training camp. Generally speaking, the setting lends itself to playing above your skill level.
But the thing with Washington in the receiving game was never necessarily about skill level and potential. It was more about what he was asked to do, and he played in an offense that didn’t need him to step up as a playmaker in that regard.
The Steelers don’t need him to, either, including specifically at the tight end position. Pat Freiermuth is and will remain the top receiving threat there. It also continues to sound as though they very much want to continue to get Connor Heyward more involved in that area, which would eat into Washington’s potential touches.
But all he should be worrying about is continuing to get better. His game is in need of some polishing, but that’s what this time of year is for. That’s why Alfredo Roberts, the team’s tight end coach, is here. They’ll work with him. If they think he can help them catch passes, they’ll get the ball in his hands at some point—especially in the red zone. And according to outside reports, he’s off to a better start than he’ll give himself credit for.
