Pittsburgh Steelers fans were ecstatic when the team drafted TE Darnell Washington in 2023, but enthusiasm has since waned. While he is already a solid blocker, fans are disappointed that he hasn’t had a larger receiving role. Beat writers have only compounded that concern this offseason, pounding the narrative that he will never expand in that area.
Yet sometimes, they break ranks, and Gerry Dulac seemed to do that recently in his last chat session. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette scribe provided a little hope for Washington enthusiasts, saying that he could greatly improve under Arthur Smith “if they throw him the ball”. He added, “Based on what I saw at training camp, I’d say they will”.
A third-round pick in 2023 out of Georgia, Darnell Washington was a college blocking tight end. He called himself the sixth lineman, exiting college with 45 total receptions. Hopefuls chalked that up to playing with 2024 first-round tight end Brock Bowers, which surely played a role. Even Mike Tomlin continues to chime in, saying that he has underrated receiving ability recently.
Despite all that, Washington didn’t catch a pass during the preseason, while MyCole Pruitt did. Even Matt Sokol received a target. Despite Dulac’s optimism—shared by Russell Wilson—about his work in training camp, though, I remain skeptical. If you think back, Washington was making plays as a receiver during his rookie training camp, but that never translated.
One of the principal concerns about a receiving role for Darnell Washington is his knees. Teams flagged him coming out of college due to that, which is why he lasted until the third round. Although he can hurdle a defender, he has something of a lumbering gait that isn’t merely due to his size.
Of course, the other challenge is simply needing somebody like Washington to be a receiving threat. While the Steelers are not extraordinarily deep at wide receiver, they have passing options. They already have Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward at tight end, plus running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are amply capable of contributing as receivers.
As a rookie, the Steelers only targeted Darnell Washington 10 times despite playing 511 snaps. He caught seven of those passes for 61 yards, four going for first-down yardage, with no drops. In other words, we don’t have much to go off, do we?
At the same time, Washington is 6-7 and a hefty boy at that. He is the sort of player you would love to present himself in the red zone, which seems the most likely area in which he can expand his role as a receiving option this year.
Yet we will have to see what comes. Even though he didn’t have any obvious problems over the summer, Washington is now dealing with a knee issue. That only strengthens the notion that he is not physically primed for a big receiving role—or even a moderate one.
