While many media members and Pittsburgh Steelers fans are rightfully excited about the jump OT Broderick Jones should make this year, his fellow Georgia teammate TE Darnell Washington is making his own second year leap so far in training camp.
When Washington was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft it was known he was going to be a blocking-first tight end, and that was the case for him his first season. As a blocker, Washington was solid but not a brute force that many hoped for. Pro Football Focus graded Washington at 51.3 for his run blocking and 72.3 for his pass blocking. That, along with him being a non-factor in the passing game (seven catches for 61 yards and no touchdowns) led to Washington’s rookie season being a slight disappointment.
However, this year Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith has seen growth from Washington in all aspects of his game.
“He’s definitely shown a lot of improvement,” said Highsmith in an interview posted to Post-Gazette Sports YouTube. He’s gonna be a huge force this year when it comes to the point of attack, blocking in the run game, and also making catches in the red zone and just wherever in the field. He’s a guy that’s gonna be huge for us, and so it’s been awesome to be able to go against him and see him getting better and better every day.”
Washington has the potential to be a really good NFL tight end, and usually tight ends take some time to develop. In college, Washington was one of the best blocking tight ends in the country but was not utilized much in the passing game. His lack of usage in the pass game at Georgia translated to the NFL as he just isn’t the smoothest route runner. This, along with poor quarterback play, saw him not see the ball often in the passing game. However, Washington is a big man, standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 264 pounds, and the goal is for him to be a red zone threat. He has such a big catch radius and in theory should be a match up nightmare near the goal line.
Even if Washington does not take a big step as a pass catcher, the big thing is for him to take a step as a run blocker. While he wasn’t bad last year, and he even flashed at times, if he can become an elite blocking tight end that could do wonders for a team that wants to run the football. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves to use his tight ends, and he really likes for them to be strong blockers.
If what we are seeing with Washington’s blocking in training camp holds true in the regular season it could bode well for a Steelers rushing attack that feels primed for an elite season.
