Rookie TE Darnell Washington is a man who was hired for his disposition. The Pittsburgh Steelers targeted him in the third round—only available that late because of medical concerns—to add a dimension of physicality they felt was lacking in their offense.
That’s not just because he has described himself as a sixth lineman. They also want him to throw his body around in the proverbial paint. He’s gone back-to-back-to-back practices finding the end zone now, although only one was in a goal-to-go scenario.
But he’s gotten his quarterbacks’ attention, including Mitch Trubisky, who has been on the arm end of a couple of those scores, describing his recent high-point connections with the rookie tight end.
“When you’re that tall you would expect that. I put it in a pretty good spot where only he could catch it”, he told reporters on Thursday, via the team’s website. “He’s so tall, he’s got strong hands. It’s gonna be tough to bring [him] down. They’re probably gonna have to double-cover him to stop that”.
Considering he skied over 6-2 S Miles Killebrew in an earlier practice this week for a touchdown, it’s probably reasonable to assume that defensive backs are going to have a hard time covering him vertically when only very few stand any more than Killebrew’s height. Washington, who has talked about his basketball background enlightening his comfortability using his body to gain position and make plays on the ball, has a natural advantage as a 6-7, 264-pound beast. But he’s also a work in progress.
“We’ve just got to keep working on that, keep giving him opportunities to make plays like that”, Trubisky said. “He’s gonna be a big red-zone threat for us. He’s picking up this offense quick, so he’s definitely gonna be a dynamic threat for us”.
The thing is, while he’s not an elite athlete for the position in terms of, for example, short-area quickness or long speed, he is a big man who really knows how to use his body. Whether it’s hurdling over defenders or making a one-hand stab, you can see the potential in him as a receiver, which went largely unrealized in Georgia’s offense.
Following three consecutive strong days of practice, it’s looking less and less likely that predictions he may begin the season as a healthy scratch were overly cautious. He seems to be progressing nicely and should certainly be capable of filling a valuable niche or two by the time the touchdowns start to count.
As he continues to develop his receiving skills, particularly his route running, there will be more and more things they can do with him. For now, if they can simply get use out of him as a blocker and as a red-zone threat, it would be more than enough for a very fine start, indeed.
