After giving Pat Freiermuth a contract extension before the 2024 season and acquiring Jonnu Smith this offseason, it felt like those two would dominate the targets among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end room. And in some ways, they have. However, Darnell Washington has really started to emerge in the last few weeks and is beginning to look like the most dynamic player the Steelers have at the position.
That makes Aaron Rodgers, who’s watched Washington’s progress throughout the year, proud.
“I’m just so proud of him. Just his approach, and really the growth I’ve seen since training camp, as he’s continued to get his body in shape, get his mind in shape. He’s a guy you don’t worry about the details, at all, he’s just very detail-oriented, super smart player,” Rodgers said Wednesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “He’s faster than people probably think ’cause he’s so tremendously large. And he’s also shifty.”
Details are important for Washington’s game, as they are with any player. To be a good blocker, you have to be detailed, and that’s been a way he’s been able to find snaps for most of his career. However, improvements in route running and finding the right spots to sit in coverage have made him much more dynamic as a pass catcher.
With his size, though, sometimes details don’t matter as much. He looked like Hercules on a viral catch and run from last Sunday’s win. But he had another key play too. On a 3rd and 17 in the third quarter, Washington caught the ball just three yards ahead of the line of scrimmage and managed to get past multiple defenders for a first down.
He runs exceptionally well for somebody who weighs 311 pounds, as we now know. Aside from his physical talent, though, Rodgers really likes Darnell Washington’s awareness on this play.
“3rd and 17, to drop it off on a checkdown and have him make a guy miss and kinda fall forward and get a first down. It’s not what you expect. But those are game-changing plays. He’s consistently, most of the season, made those plays,” Rodgers said.
It didn’t result in points, but you could certainly consider this a game-changing play. At the very least, it shifts momentum in the Steelers’ favor. It was Mason Rudolph’s first drive, and they had just a one-point lead. If they don’t convert here, the Bengals get the ball back and have a chance to take the lead.
But Washington, at his massive frame, somehow manages to pick up the first down. Getting to the 36-yard line put the Steelers in position to kick a field goal and extend their lead. It’s not a moment you’ll remember forever. But these types of plays go a long way towards deciding wins and losses.
At the moment, those plays are starting to separate Washington from the rest of the tight end room. There’s already plenty of confusion around Smith’s usage. And Freiermuth had just one target last Sunday. Yet, Washington is finding a way to show up when the Steelers need a spark.
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