Pittsburgh Steelers TE Darnell Washington has all of four targets this season, but he has made them count. That is the best way to ensure that you get more, which Pat Freiermuth sees in his future. What he didn’t see, however, was his fellow tight end showing the ability to leap over another man.
During the Steelers’ loss to the Colts on Sunday, Darnell Washington caught a pass in the right flat and rumbled ahead for 20 yards. Along the way, he stiff-armed one defender and hurdled over another. For a 6’7, 264-pound human being, that’s an impressive showing. Freiermuth and perhaps the Steelers all want to see more of that.
“It’s useful for sure. As the season goes on, we’re all gonna have tendencies”, Freiermuth said about Washington potentially taking a larger role in the offense via Tim Benz on the Breakfast with Benz podcast. “As long as we can break those tendencies and get different guys doing stuff, we’re gonna be a hard offense to stop. Just continue to grow, and he’s ready for it”.
The Steelers drafted Darnell Washington in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While they drafted him primarily for his blocking ability, they also spoke early and often about his receiving potential. Yet he only caught seven passes on 10 targets as a rookie for 61 yards, having played over 500 snaps.
So far, through four games into his second season, though, he has four catches for 41 yards. It’s not an earth-shattering upgrade, but it includes a touchdown and that physical explosive play. Perhaps it wasn’t quite the Vance McDonald play, but it was enough to open his teammates’ eyes.
“It was super impressive of him moving, throwing that guy, bouncing his head off the turf, and hurdling”, Freiermuth said of Washington’s catch on Sunday. “I didn’t expect the hurdle. It was just awesome to see him winning the flat, making big plays”.
So far this season, the Steelers are running the ball more than they are throwing it. To date, they have 138 rushing attempts to 109 passing attempts, though that doesn’t include sacks and scrambles. But they showed they can pass if needed last week, with Justin Fields attempting 34 passes. Washington saw two of them, picking up 31 total yards.
Considering his previous career high for a game was 12 yards, that’s not bad, but is it a sign of things to come? The Steelers only have one really credible wide receiver, so in theory, there is room for expansion. But right now they aren’t even getting Pat Freiermuth enough targets, let alone Darnell Washington.
