When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected TE Darnell Washington out of the University of Georgia in the 2023 NFL Draft, their TE room went from a potential position of weakness to a position of strength.
Washington has been well-documented as this gargantuan human being who has the size of an offensive lineman but also the skill set of a viable receiver in the passing game. He joins a room featuring Pat Freiermuth, who is considered one of the best young TEs in the game, as well as Zach Gentry, who is a big-bodied blocker himself, and Connor Heyward, a Swiss Army Knife player who can wear a lot of hats for an offense.
TE Coach Alfredo Roberts, when asked about the various body types and skill sets of his position group at mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, said that their diversified skill sets will keep opposing defenses on their toes since the Steelers have a player/body type to match nearly any situation.
“It gives us the ability to do different things cause they’re so different,” Roberts said according to audio via the Steelers’ PR Department. “So, you’re not pigeonhole doing one thing. You get a Connor; he can line up in the backfield. You’ve seen a little bit of that. You can line ’em up in the line. You get Pat; put him out in space, put him in the line. Then you get Zack and Darnell. Man, we really got big up front.
“Hey, they wanna play small ball, we can just go ahead and try to run it with Najee [Harris] in the backfield. Play big ball, then you can spread ’em out and you can go and throw the ball. Get some different looks for the defense.”
The Steelers have indicated that they want to play bully ball in 2023 and establish their offensive identity in their power running game. The selection of Washington paired with Gentry up front gives Pittsburgh two giant TEs who can serve as in-line blockers and move defenders off the LOS as the offense looks to assert its will. Pittsburgh also has guys like Freiermuth and Heyward who are good athletes out in space. They can beat most linebackers in coverage thanks to their route running as well as outmuscle safeties for the football at the catch point.
This is the deepest that the Steelers’ TE room has been in years, and probably the most diverse as well. They have guys of all different shapes, sizes, and skill sets and can use those guys in advantageous situations to get the better of opposing defense if they come out to play the run or match up against the pass. It will be up to OC Matt Canada and the rest of the offensive staff to find a way to best utilize the talent Pittsburgh has in its TE room, but Pittsburgh has the talent at TE to give opposing defenses fits in 2023.
