The selection of TE Darnell Washington in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft was almost universally praised as one of the biggest value picks of that year. There were some projecting him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round and they were able to get him all the way at pick No. 93.
He has a rare blend of size and speed for the tight end position, but he wasn’t exactly a premier receiving threat for the University of Georgia. His traits would suggest he could develop into one, but the majority of his rookie season was spent blocking as an extra lineman.
He will likely continue in that role, but the hope is that the Steelers can find ways to utilize him as a mismatch in the passing game. According to QB Russell Wilson, he is coming along in that area.
“Big Darnell, he’s, I don’t know, 6-8 [and] about 305 [pounds]. Running fast, big body, you give him the chance all the time down there and he makes great plays. He ran a great route on that one, a huge play,” Wilson said of a completion to Washington during today’s practice in a video posted by Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube. “He’s been showing up all camp. Really all OTAs.”
I think the play they were referring to, which happened toward the end of practice in a red zone session, was this from Alex Kozora on X.
The Steelers have struggled in the red zone over the last few seasons, so getting a 6-7, 264-pound TE involved seems like a reasonable thing that could help in that area.
According to Kozora’s statistics from the first 13 practices, Washington had four catches on six targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. In the three practices since, I have noticed his name being mentioned more and more as a receiver, so it will be interesting to see how the stats shake out for all 16 practices.
Arthur Smith uses a lot of 12 and 13 personnel in his offense. While Pat Freiermuth will be the main receiving threat of the bunch, there is definitely an opportunity for Washington to get more involved. That is something that Washington told the media during OTAs that he has worked on all offseason. He wanted to focus on his route running and build trust with the quarterbacks and play callers to get more involved as a receiver.
“We were talking this morning. I was like, ‘Man, it feels like it’s like his third or fourth year.’ It really feels like his fourth year, but it’s really only his second,” Wilson said. “And it’s been impressive how knowledgeable he is, how competitive he is. Obviously, there’s only so many human beings in the world that are that big and that can run that well and catch that good, too. He’s very skillful.”
Darnell Washington isn’t going to be a high-volume receiver this year. He may never be, but it sure would be nice to throw some jump balls to him in the end zone. At the very least, he should have significantly more than the seven receptions on 10 targets for 61 yards that he had in 2023 as a rookie.
