Officially with two catches for 15 yards on two targets, the start to Pittsburgh Steelers rookie TE Darnell Washington’s career as a receiving threat hasn’t gotten off to quite the start it could have. But that was the prerogative of the Buffalo Bills’ defense, QB Mitch Trubisky insists.
Twice in the second quarter of Saturday’s 27-15 win, the third-round pick found himself in the end zone the recipient of a pass, only to have Bills defenders drape themselves over him. In both instances, he drew defensive pass interference calls.
“They had to interfere”, Trubisky said, via Mike Prisuta writing for the team’s website. “I like to think if he’s 1-on-1, you give him a chance, he’s going to come down with it”. Both came within a four-play sequence late in the second quarter, on second-and 4 from the seven-yard line and then third-and-1 from the one.
At 6-foot-7 and north of 260 pounds, Washington did not get to fully flex his muscles as a pass catcher at Georgia and is looking forward to making that a bigger part of his game in the NFL. He showed flashes of what he can do in that area during training camp, particularly in the red zone, coming down with something like half a dozen touchdown catches in the process.
That hasn’t shown up in-game yet, but it’s still quite early. According to Pro Football Focus, Washington has run just 22 routes thus far through two preseason games worth of work, and much of that was in circumstances in which the Steelers would be unlikely to target him. Nearly all of that came set in-line.
Washington was a blocking tight end as a Bulldog, at least primarily. He will be asked to do quite a lot of that in Pittsburgh as well, but both he and the Steelers are hoping to expand his duties gradually. It should start with short-area work, such as red-zone situations, as they attempted to feature him last time out.
“We’re going to continue to give him opportunities down in the red zone”, Trubisky said. “He’s a big target. He knows how to get open. It’s going to be tough for defenses to cover because he’s a big target and he knows how to catch and make those plays”.
The rookie has been his own harshest critic so far, especially when it comes to his route-running proficiency. Outside observers have been kinder in describing his performances in that area. He does display athleticism and a reasonable amount of burst and nuance, though things can still use a fine-tuning.
The offense is not relying upon him to emerge as a core receiving threat, at least not for the time being. Not even at the tight end position, where they have Pat Freiermuth, recipient of a 25-yard touchdown pass from starting QB Kenny Pickett during the same game in question.
But he can be a weapon, and I’m sure he’s as frustrated as anybody to have been robbed of the chance to complete one of those plays in the end zone. His time will come soon enough, however. Perhaps even Thursday night with the starting offense. And hopefully no interference this time.
