Pittsburgh Steelers TE Darnell Washington has flipped a switch since pads were put on in training camp. His ability to move defenders in the run game and his great size in pass game has turned him into a very interesting piece for Pittsburgh this season. After practice today, FS Minkah Fitzpatrick spoke on how tough of a player Washington is to play against.
“He’s tough, man, he’s tough,” said Fitzpatrick in an interview posted to 93.7 The Fan. “From a safety standpoint no matter what you do, no matter how good of coverage you’re in if the quarterback places a good ball he’s gonna catch it. He’s a physical guy, he’s a big body guy, but he’s also an athlete. So he knows how to move, he has great body control. I don’t know if he played basketball or not but he reminds me of a basketball player just the body control he has. And obviously he’s a monster in the run game. He’s moving outside linebackers, d ends [defensive ends] like it’s nothing.”
Today, former TE Rob Gronkowski also came out and sang Washington’s praises, predicting a 600 to 700 yard season. While that likely won’t happen given the fact that Pat Freiermuth is the top tight end for the Steelers, Washington definitely can have a good year.
Profusely praised mostly for his run blocking coming out of college, Washington can also contribute in the passing game. Standing 6-foot-7, Washington is a massive human being who can box out any linebacker or defensive back trying to guard him. Even though he may not be the fastest, Washington knows how to use his body to his advantage to make it almost impossible for a defender to make a play on the ball so long as the pass is a good pass. And as Fitzpatrick thought, Washington did play basketball in high school where he was a four-year varsity player at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas.
The Steelers got a steal in the third round being able to draft Washington. In college he was considered a sixth offensive lineman because of his size and blocking ability. With the Steelers trying to run the ball a lot this season with their two-headed monster backfield of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, having a blocking tight end is huge.
We knew Washington was going to be able to block coming into training camp. What we didn’t know was that Washington would be such a threat in the passing game. Given the elite size and body control of Washington, he could be a favorite target of QB Kenny Pickett in the red zone. Early in camp, Washington made an impressive catch in the end zone over S Miles Killebrew for a score despite Killebrew being draped all over him.
Pittsburgh’s tight end room is deep, with Freiermuth, Washington, Zach Gentry, and Connor Heyward. But with the way Washington has looked since the pads have come on it will be hard to keep him off the field. He is poised to be a threat in both the run game and pass game, which can be a scary sight for opposing defenses.
And a very nice sight for Steelers fans across the globe.
