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90 In 30: Steelers 2023 Training Camp Preview Series: Levi Wallace, Jaylen Warren, Darnell Washington

By Dave Bryan

Posted on July 23, 2023 at 8:15 am

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 offseason practices concluded in the middle of June and next up is their annual training camp, which gets underway in late July at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Ahead of training camp, we will preview the team’s offseason roster three players at a time for you as part of a 30-post series. This Steelers roster preview, which includes outlooks for every player, will be done alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow.

The next three players we will preview ahead of Steelers 2023 training camp are Levi Wallace, Jaylen Warren, and Darnell Washington.

CB Levi Wallace: The Steelers added Wallace as a bargain unrestricted free agent in March of 2022 and the Alabama product and former undrafted free agent of the Buffalo Bills went on to play in 15 regular season games last season and a total of 709 defensive snaps with 65 more on special teams. Wallace finished his first season in Pittsburgh with 48 total tackles, four interceptions and 13 passes defensed. He started nine games in 2022 and mainly due to the team not having fellow cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon healthy for most of the year.

Wallace missed two games in 2022 due to injuries. One was due to a concussion and the second one due to a shoulder issue. He really came on during the second half of the season and finished 20922 with a Pro Football Focus grade of 62.8. In coverage last season, Wallace allowed 39 receptions on 71 total targets for 615 yards and three touchdowns, according to PFF. Held up quite well against go routes in 2022. Run defense was also a string point of Wallace’s play last season.

Outlook: The Steelers overhauled their cornerback room during the offseason and part of that process included the additions of two rookies via the 2023 NFL Draft in Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. Additionally, veteran cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan were signed via a free agency during the offseason while two others from last season’s roster, Witherspoon and Arthur Maulet, were both jettisoned. The fact that Wallace remains in the cornerback room this summer speaks volumes.

Will Wallace begin the 2023 regular season as a starter? It’s quite possible. He will, however, need to hold off the rookie Porter this summer for that to happen. It will also be interesting to see who starts the regular season as the Steelers primarily slot nickel cornerback. If Peterson gets that job, that will certainly help Wallace’s play-time cause in 2023. Assuming Wallace does open the 2023 regular season playing a lot, how he plays will determine how much he plays as the season progresses. Porter should become a starter outside sooner rather than later and it will be interesting to see the progression that the other rookie cornerback, Trice, makes as the season rolls on as well.

RB Jaylen Warren: In 2022, Warren proved that rookie undrafted free agents can matter. Not only did Warren make the Steelers Week One 53-man roster in 2022, but he also went on to play in 16 of 17 regular season games and a total of 342 offensive snaps. In those 16 games, Warren registered 77 carries for 379 yards and one touchdown to go along with 28 receptions for 214 yards. He also played 127 special teams snaps as a rookie.

The lone game that Warren missed in 2022 came in late November and it was due to a hamstring injury. He looked like a natural NFL running back as a rookie and his pass protection was also up to par as well. Not a bad rookie season overall for a slightly undersized undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State. He looks to be quite a find for the Steelers.

Outlook: First and foremost, Warren should obviously make the 53-man roster again in 2023 and lie last season, serve as the primary backup to starter Najee Harris. Will Warren get a little more playing time than he received during 2022 rookie season? It’s quite possible and quite honestly, he deserves more touches in his second NFL season.

Warren came out of nowhere last season but that won’t be the case in 2023. He could quite easily surpass 500 yards rushing in 2023 and have 750 total yards from scrimmage. Obviously, if anything were to happen to Harris during the 2023 season, Warren’s totals would likely exceed 1,000 total yards from scrimmage. He’s a fun player to watch and should have a successful 2023 season.

TE Darnell Washington: The Steelers made Washington their third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft to the surprise of many. Most of that surprise was related to the Georgia product still being on the board come time for the 93rd overall selection to be made. His fall into the third round was seemingly mostly blamed on injury concerns although his overall receiving production in college may have also played a part in his draft tumble.

Washington was an excellent blocker while at Georgia and that’s not too surprising due to his size, 6065, 272-pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms. In his three seasons at Georgia, Washington registered 45 receptions for 774 yards and three touchdowns in 27 games played. 28 of those receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns came in his final college season in 2022.

Outlook: As a third-round draft pick this year, Washington will obviously make the 53-man roster. From there, he should see sizable action as a rookie and especially as a second tight end. Will that action come early in the season? It’s hard to say for sure as another tight end on the roster Zach Gentry, could see action prior to Washington due to his experience. In short, there is a small chance that Washington starts the 2023 regular season as an inactive player.

While Washington didn’t compile gaudy receiving stats at Georgia, he still showed that he has nice body control as a target in addition to a huge catch radius. While he lumbers a bit as a route runner, he still can still get open, catch the football, and then get yardage after doing so. He could be a sneaky red zone option for the Steelers as a rookie and can also be used in other shorter passing game situations. More than anything else, what Washington might can add to the Steelers offense as a run blocker as a rookie is something to really get excited about. He can potentially be a difference maker in that area and hopefully we will start finding that out early during his rookie season.

Related Items:2023 Training Camp, Darnell Washington, Jaylen Warren, Levi Wallace

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