Player: TE Darnell Washington
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Darnell Washington didn’t have his best game as a blocker—actually, he may have had his worst of the year. But the big Steelers tight end did offer up his first “highlight reel” play of his career, raising more questions. After he caught a touchdown in Week 2, we asked if he would have a larger receiving role. That was a stationary play, but he showed athleticism and YAC on Sunday. Does that, or the two combined, finally earn him more passing targets?
While he still doesn’t move like a gazelle, Steelers TE Darnell Washington has better movement than often acknowledged. Following an offseason during which reporters dampened enthusiasm for his receiving contributions, he is starting to make plays.
Through four weeks, Washington now has four catches for 41 yards and one touchdown, but two plays stand out. Obviously, his touchdown in Week 2 in the red zone on a fade was a significant play. But he picked up almost half of his yardage of the season on just one play on Sunday.
About 20 minutes into the game, on 2nd and 9, Darnell Washington caught a short pass in the right flat. He proceeded to stiff-arm one defender before eventually hurdling another, picking up 20 yards. Washington also added an 11-yard reception later in the game, in fact his first multi-reception game with the Steelers.
As a rookie, Washington drew only 10 targets for the entire season, catching seven for 61 yards. He still only has four targets this year, but at least that’s one per game, and he has caught them all. And he has found the end zone, as well, which is never a bad thing.
Now, are the Steelers ever going to use Darnell Washington as a 50-reception guy? I highly doubt it, and I don’t know if he is that type of player. But he reminded us on Sunday that he is not as lumbering as his 6-7 frame indicates. While he might not be the most agile of players, and his knees may not be great, he can do enough to make plays.
But he needs to block better than he did against the Colts. Perhaps the entire team gets a mulligan on that day.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
