Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: TE Darnell Washington
Experience: 2 Years
Steelers second-year TE Darnell Washington may have been the biggest beneficiary of new OC Arthur Smith. From his rookie year to 2024, he saw his opportunities rise pretty significantly. Some of that is due to the natural evolution of a young player, but Smith utilizes his tight ends more. In the recent past, the Steelers haven’t always employed offensive coordinators who know what to do with them.
Washington’s playing time did not skyrocket, but that comes with some necessary context. He played 584 snaps in 2024 and 511 in 2023. The only reason he played that much as a rookie is because of injuries. Pat Freiermuth missed a big chunk of the season that year. The Steelers played him more this past season because they used a lot more two-tight end sets.
Most interesting was the development of Darnell Washington’s usage as a receiving target, though. As a rookie, the Steelers only targeted him 10 times, and generally in a very predictable fashion. This past season, he saw 25 targets, catching 19 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. He was even hurdling and throwing stiff arms and generally causing havoc when given the opportunity.
That is more like what the Steelers envisioned when they drafted Washington in 2023, or at least what they claimed. Despite the absence of a college receiving pedigree—he played behind Brock Bowers, who just set an NFL rookie receiving record—they saw more to his game than just a massive blocking body who is a glorified sixth lineman.
Now, the Steelers drafted Darnell Washington to be a blocker, and HC Mike Tomlin said as much on Hard Knocks. But they don’t do themselves any favors by consciously limiting players. They saw that Washington could offer something as a receiver and gave him opportunities. Quite honestly, it seems as though they gave him Connor Heyward’s opportunities as his targets evaporated.
So what is next for Washington, going into his third season? Not much except for more of the same and better, or so one can hope. His playing time is more than sufficient for his role, so now it’s about perfecting his craft. While he is a big man, he is sometimes too big for his own good. Continuing to work on leverage will be big. And if they can squeeze more blood out of his receiving stone, all the better. The Steelers turned a Mackey Award winner in Matt Spaeth into a sixth lineman. Maybe now they can do the opposite.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
