Will Darnell Washington lose playing time with the Steelers under Mike McCarthy?
The Steelers coaching staff that loved TE Darnell Washington isn’t here anymore, replaced by Mike McCarthy and his crew. While McCarthy is a former tight ends coach himself, as is his new offensive coordinator, what does that mean for a tight end who primarily blocks? That has been the subject of some considerable speculation in recent days from those who cover the team.
A third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Darnell Washington is going into a contract year. Ordinarily, the Steelers prefer to sign core players to extensions in the summer of the final year of their deal. But because the Steelers lose Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff, that complicates the evaluation process.
Now, the Steelers still have the same front office, more or less, that drafted Darnell Washington. Omar Khan and Andry Weidl are big believers in big people, but they don’t manage snap counts. Pittsburgh could sign him to a 20-year deal, but it’s up to McCarthy to use him.
Last season, Washington played a career-high 57 percent of the snaps of games in which he played. He missed the regular season finale and the playoffs after injuring his arm in Week 17. Without that injury, he likely would have played over 600 snaps, rather than 546.
He also saw his targets jump up from 25 for 43, resulting in 31 catches for 364 yards. We started to hear the Steelers’ opponents talk about Darnell Washington by name and the complications he presents in the preparation process. But if the Steelers don’t use him in a way that’s problematic for opponents, they won’t have to worry.
There has been a lot of talk about how McCarthy could benefit Pat Freiermuth but might hurt Washington. The thing is, it may be addition by subtraction. The Steelers are likely to release Jonnu Smith, who inexplicably played 536 snaps. He was on the field more than half the time last season.
That’s over 50 percent of the snaps the Steelers played on offense last season that can go to Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, or a wide receiver. Might both tight ends wind up with a bigger role just by removing Smith from the equation?
The Steelers exited the playoffs in the first round yet again, a pattern going back to 2017.With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are facing another long, long offseason. No doubt we will see many changes, but none will top Mike Tomlin resigning.
The NFL has crowned its latest champion, but for us and the Steelers, we have been in offseason mode. That’s what happens when the team you coverloses by the middle of January all the time, but you’ve been around, so you know that already. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
Recommended for you