With left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and tight end Pat Freiermuth on the shelf for the Week Five matchup against the Baltimore Ravens after suffering injuries in the Week Four road loss to the Houston Texans, the Pittsburgh Steelers are turning to two prized rookies.
Left tackle Broderick Jones, the No. 14 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and tight end Darnell Washington — selected in the third round at No. 93 overall — are slated to take on significant roles for the Steelers on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium in their first foray into the historic Steelers-Ravens rivalry.
Though it is not their first extended action offensively this season for the Steelers, it will be Jones’ first start at left tackle and Washington’s fourth of his career, though it will be his first true extended playing time as the legitimate No. 1 tight end in the Steelers’ offense.
It’s an exciting time for the youth on the Steelers offense, which has third-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada excited to see what the pair of rookies can do in extended action.
“We’ve talked about how positive we were and how high we were on them through camp, right? And it wasn’t necessarily that they weren’t ready to play. It was more of the situations of Dan doing a good job and Pat doing a good job and Darnell was already coming,” Canada said to reporters Thursday, according to video via Amanda Godsey’s YouTube page. “So, obviously we’re disappointed we have some of the guys out that we have out. That’s a situation you don’t ever want to have. But it’s an opportunity for those guys to go and we’re excited about them being able to do it, have a great confidence in them doing a great job.”
Through the first four games of the season, Jones’ NFL exposure at left tackle has been limited to action in relief. In Week One against the San Francisco 49ers, Jones came in at left tackle as Moore moved to right tackle after Chukwuma Okorafor exited the game and entered the concussion protocol.
He played just four snaps that day in the 30-7 blowout loss to the 49ers. Then, on Sunday in Houston, Jones came on for an injured Moore and played 51 snaps in the 30-6 loss. In total, he’s seen 55 snaps in the NFL at left tackle.
In those 55 snaps, Jones has graded out at a 55.0 overall from Pro Football Focus, which includes 59.5 as a run blocker and a 45.4 in pass protection. Jones has allowed three total pressures, which all came in Week Four against Houston.
Now, he’ll get a shot at an experienced, versatile Baltimore front seven featuring pass rushers Odefe Oweh, Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, which should provide quite the test for the Georgia product.
As for Washington, he’s played in 104 offensive snaps, with 55 coming as a run blocker. On the year, Washington grades out at a 48.9 overall from PFF, including a 49.0 in run blocking but an impressive 75.6 as a pass blocker.
Washington caught his first pass in Week Four, gaining 10 yards after a rollout from quarterback Kenny Pickett. Though the tight ends haven’t been involved much in the passing game for the Steelers through the first four weeks, Washington has a chance to put his size and catch radius to work against the Ravens, especially against linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen.
It’ll be a big test, but these are the types of games and matchups that the Steelers brought the two rookies into the franchise for.
