Every player who enters the NFL has a moment where they realize how much higher the competition level is. For Darnell Washington, he didn’t even make it out of training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers before he learned the difference between college and the NFL. That’s probably because he had T.J. Watt, one of the best players in the league, throwing him right into the fire.
“When it first hit, it was camp and we was doing the drill called ‘Grab Grass’ and I was going against T.J. [Watt],” Washington said recently on The Arthur Moats Experience. “It wasn’t a pass protection one. It’s a run-blocking one. He beat me back-to-back-to-back, Coach [Mike Tomlin] made me go three times in a row versus [Watt]. And when I say he beat me three times in a row, less than a second. I was like, ‘What the hell?'”
Washington is an absolute mammoth of a man. Coming out of the draft, he was listed at almost 6-7′ and over 260 pounds. In college, he probably didn’t have many players beat him instantly three times in a row. Watt is a different breed, though, and he’s not just a pass rusher. He’s also an elite run defender, a fact Washington learned that day.
It’s probably better that Washington had that experience in camp instead of an actual game. The coaches probably knew that he wasn’t going to see many players better than Watt. As a rookie, there was nowhere to go but up from there.
After logging significant snaps as a rookie but mostly as a blocking TE, Washington has had a much bigger presence in the offense. He still hasn’t been a huge receiving threat, but his blocking is much improved. He struggled slightly against the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, but he didn’t get overwhelmed. Crosby is one of the few players close to Watt’s level, so all that preparation in camp probably paid off.
This week, Washington will have to help the Steelers against a tough New York Jets defense. Edge rusher Will McDonald IV may not be Crosby or Watt, but he’s still been very good. The Jets’ defense as a whole is a strong unit, so Washington will likely have another physical day ahead of him. They don’t have Watt on their side, though, which should give Washington some comfort. Anything less than the best has to feel like a breath of fresh air.
