How is Darnell Washington’s future affected by the Steelers’ addition of Jonnu Smith, if at all?
The Steelers appear to be high on Darnell Washington—and yet they brought in another tight end, a Pro Bowler. What does the arrival of Jonnu Smith mean for his future with the Steelers, assuming it means something? It’s reasonable to assume Smith will be ahead of him on the depth chart, based on salary alone.
Key here is the fact that Darnell Washington is entering his third season, a key point. If he plays well this year, he is potentially setting himself up for a nice contract extension. But how many snaps will he play with Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith ahead of him? Hoping for more targets in the passing game this year, where will he find those?
Let’s face it: Washington is going to have a mighty difficult time carving out a role as a receiver. Last season, Freiermuth and Smith combined for 153 receptions for 1,534 yards and 15 touchdowns. Obviously, they won’t likely combine for 189 targets, now that they are on the same team.
But if the Steelers can’t even find the volume to fill their roles in the passing game, what chance does Washington have? Sure, let’s assume they plan to run a bunch of 13 personnel this year. Let’s say they up their usage to about 23 percent or so. On how many of those plays will he not be the fifth option in the progression? With Freiermuth and Smith, DK Metcalf, and a pass-catch-capable running back, there simply aren’t going to be many designed plays for him.
Granted, Darnell Washington will still be front and center in the run game, I’m sure. He is already one of the better run-blocking tight ends in the NFL, and the Steelers know they can ask him to do things most other tight ends can’t. But that sort of role kind of puts a cap on your earnings potential.
Granted, maybe the Steelers don’t see themselves signing Washington to an extension next year. Maybe they see the Jonnu Smith trade as a one-year arrangement, and they can revisit Washington in 2027. Then again, they signed Freiermuth to an extension after a bad season last year, so who knows?
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
