Is Darnell Washington becoming the Steelers’ top tight end?
For the second game in a row, third-year man Darnell Washington out-snapped every other tight end on the Steelers’ roster. This time, he also made a minor splash by becoming more involved in the passing game, having a career day. But does that indicate he is becoming the team’s top tight end, or is this an ebb-and-flow situation?
In the past two games alone, Darnell Washington has logged nearly 100 snaps, and he has seen more targets, too. After catching all three in Week 4 for 20 yards, he caught three of five yesterday for 62 yards. Prior to Sunday’s game, he never had more than 42 receiving yards in an NFL game.
Meanwhile, Jonnu Smith did play nearly as much, and he drew four targets. But he didn’t have Washington’s production, catching three passes for 18 yards. Notably, Pat Freiermuth continued to play very few snaps, relatively speaking. Over the past two games, he has seen fewer than 40 snaps on offense. This week, at least, he saw one target, making one catch for 11 yards.
The Steelers have made it very clear in recent weeks that they want to use big personnel to match up against big fronts, and they specifically mention Darnell Washington and OL Spencer Anderson. They also specify that 250-pound tight ends don’t really work in that situation—in other words, Pat Freiermuth. By all appearances, when the games are being played, they’re not overly concerned with getting their money’s worth out of him.
Of course, the answer to this question depends upon how you define terms. If you go purely by snap count, Darnell Washington has been the Steelers’ top tight end the past two games. But snap counts can shift depending on the type of opponents they’re seeing. Right now, they’re in the midst of AFC North play, which often calls for bigger bodies.
It’s worth noting, perhaps, that Freiermuth has had some of the best games of his career against the Bengals. The Steelers just so happen to be playing them on Thursday, so perhaps that’s a chance to get him more involved. But they’re also a 4-3 front, and recent history suggests that means more Washington.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. 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. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
