Pittsburgh Steelers rookie TE Darnell Washington has not flashed as a receiving threat. Granted, he also hasn’t really been given a chance to. He’s only been targeted five times all season across 256 snaps played on offense. But so much of his playing time is dedicated, unsurprisingly, to run blocking.
And that’s primarily why he was drafted, of course. The Steelers didn’t select him with visions of finding the next Travis Kelce, though they would certainly welcome his maturation into a dynamic receiving option on top of his blocking. No, they drafted him to be the sixth blocker, first and foremost, and he’s done that well.
It’s been especially noticeable the past two weeks with the offense’s commitment to the run game. “Darnell’s been fantastic”, C Mason Cole told reporters earlier this week, via the team’s website. “He’s had some tough challenges the last two weeks. We put a lot on him to win on the edge, and he has. It’s been good to see him grow and develop into a really good tight end”.
And they knew exactly what they were getting. They were getting a 6-8, 264-pound people mover who is athletic enough to catch the occasional pass from time to time, with room for upside in that area as his career progresses. This is what landed him in Pittsburgh.
roughly three-fifths of his playing time thus far on offense has come on running plays, and that hasn’t really deviated with TE Pat Freiermuth having been sidelined for the past five games. He’s continued to play roughly the same amount in roughly the same proportions in terms of assignment.
Of course, the Steelers also drafted his college teammate, T Broderick Jones, who was recently inserted into the starting lineup at right tackle. They’ve had their two best games on the ground since he’s been there, and the two Georgia Bulldogs have helped to spark the running game in the process.
That was what the front office envisioned going into this offseason. That included targeting free agent G Isaac Seumalo, another physical but intelligent road grader, and he, too, has been significant in sparking this resurgence.
Up next will be a tall task, however, in the form of the Cleveland Browns. They have given up the fewest yards in the NFL and rank in the top 10 in run defense specifically. Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith are both stout run defenders on the edge.
All the more reason to run it between the tackles, though, which is mostly what the Steelers do. Even in those situations, however, Washington makes himself useful on the second level, which has helped the offense up its production of double-digit runs.
