Will TE Darnell Washington outsnap the Steelers’ No. 3 WR?
We’ve talked so much about how offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves tight ends, but will he prove it? Will the Steelers use 12 personnel as their base package, and what will that look like? Presumably, Darnell Washington would take most of the second tight ends snaps, but will he outsnap the third wide receiver?
At least on the outside, I don’t think we even know who the Steelers’ third wide receiver is right now. Rookie Roman Wilson is injured and may not even dress for the opener. Between Calvin Austin III and Scotty Miller, I really don’t know who has the edge. I don’t know that either has an edge—they might try to cobble the snaps together between them. In that respect, I think Darnell Washington has a stronger grip on his role.
Of course, the Steelers will want to use Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruit here and there as well. But the Steelers drafted Washington to do what he does, and he’s doing that. Even some beat writers, I’ve seen, are saying that he looks better as a pass catcher this summer. I’m not reading too much into that right now, but it doesn’t hurt.
Even with Washington on the field with Pat Freiermuth, the Steelers still have at least four strong passing targets. Freiermuth is a good receiving tight end, and both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren can catch. Line Freiermuth standing up in the slot and have away at it, exploiting personnel mismatches.
I think Washington will see more snaps than the third receiver early on, but I’m interested in developing trends. As Roman Wilson works his way in, can he coax the Steelers into running more 11 personnel? That might be asking a lot, but play the formations that work for you.
The Steelers do want to hit the ground running with their rushing offense this year and Darnell Washington is a big part of that. Even last year, he played 511 snaps on offense, though you have to factor in Freiermuth’s injury. But he could certainly log that kind of workload and more this year.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
