PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers had a clear winner from mandatory minicamp, and it was third-year tight end Darnell Washington.
Aaron Rodgers saw Washington and immediately compared him to an old teammate of his -- Marcedes Lewis.
“I told Darnell [Washington] today I haven’t had a tight end like him since Marcedes [Lewis],” Rodgers said. “And Marcedes, all-time great. Darnell is like a young Marcedes, able to do things in the passing game and dominate the line of scrimmage.”
Washington shined throughout the week, making multiple big plays in the passing game. This could be the year things finally break out in that part of his game.
Washington and Will Howard connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass during the team’s final two-minute drill on Wednesday.
Washington described the play, saying the safeties showed a two-high shell, which would leave the middle of the field wide open on his seam route. The massive tight end gave Howard a lot of credit.
“Will put that ball in the perfect spot,” Washington said. “It felt good to get that one in there.”
Washington, meanwhile, thinks he is ready for a year-three breakout as a receiver. Now down 15 pounds, Washington sees it showing up in his routes.
“I’ll say I’m for sure different just in the aspect of how to run this route during this coverage,” Washington said. “First year, I was still learning like NFL defenses, what they’re giving us. If I’ve got this route, this coverage, run it like this.”
This week was a good start for Washington to prove to Rodgers that he can impact the passing game, as Rodgers loves to involve his tight ends. If Washington can carry that over to games, he could have his best season as a receiver after taking a leap as a blocker in 2024.