The Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie class has made something of a splash. Rookie corner Joey Porter Jr. has ascended into the starting lineup and shutdown Tennessee Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins in Thursday night’s win. Defensive lineman Keeanu Benton has the makings of a stud and potential Cam Heyward replacement. Though action has been sporadic, first round OT Broderick Jones has played well in each of his two starts, even with limited time on the right side.
One rookie who hasn’t met the hype is tight end Darnell Washington. Perhaps that’s a product of just having too-high expectations. The position is notoriously one of the most difficult to transition to as a rookie and Washington had his rough edges coming out of Georgia. It’s led to him having just two receptions on the season, a lower number than anyone who would’ve guessed.
But speaking with Patrick Peterson on the latest All Things Covered podcast, ex-Steelers CB Bryant McFadden practically begged the Pittsburgh Steelers to get Washington the ball more often.
“The man deserves more than one target,” McFadden told Peterson. “I understand George want more targets. That’s deserving. He’s supposed to get at least double digits. But Darnell Washington shouldn’t just be a blocker. Can we please get him involved in the passing game?”
Despite playing 223 snaps this season and running nearly 100 routes, Washington has just four targets for two receptions and 17 yards. His first came in Week Four against the Houston Texans, a 10-yard grab, and followed that up with a seven-yard catch against the Titans. Both were off the same concepts, playaction boots with Washington making the grab in the flat. Beyond that, he’s been nothing but a decoy in the passing game when he’s not blocking, which he has done more than anything.
But watching the tape, it’s more understandable as to why Washington isn’t involved. Despite impressive Combine metrics, a 4.64 40 yard dash, 10’2″ broad jump, and 4.08 short shuttle, he doesn’t play to those times on the field. A lumberer on the field, his route tree has been underneath and Pittsburgh hasn’t been in the red zone enough this season to potentially use him where he could function best. Occasionally, his playing time has even been reduced, curiously logging only 10 snaps in Week Eight against the Jacksonville Jaguars, two fewer than former practice squader Rodney Williams.
Still, McFadden made his case.
“Can we please start throwing the ball to Darnell Washington? This is a personal issue that I have. Darnell Washington is a matchup problem. We’ve seen this man at Georgia catch passes and route people up.”
McFadden is right there’s a case to be made Washington should get more looks. Playing near-starter snaps with so few targets functionally just makes him a sixth offensive lineman and limits an already limited passing game. But it may not be until next season that Washington sees his game improve enough to warrant those chances, the sophomore year leap common for rookies and especially tight ends. Of course, TE Pat Freiermuth will be around and hopefully past his injury-marred 2023 season, capping Washington’s opportunity, but it may take until 2024 for McFadden to get his wish.
Check out the full episode below.
