The Pittsburgh Steelers are utilizing tight end Darnell Washington more than ever in his three-year career. Washington has already set new career highs in targets (29) and yards (209) with seven games
remaining in the regular season.
The Georgia product has emerged as a No. 1 tight end in terms of snap counts and utilization in Arthur Smith’s offense, being a main force in the jumbo formation and a viable threat in the pass game. It took some time, but the former third-round pick is experiencing a breakout season with additional opportunities. Speaking in his weekly press conference, Mike Tomlin says Washington’s abilities aren’t new and date back to his time in college.
“I don’t know that he’s physically gotten better,” Tomlin said. “We might just be discovering him. Some of the freakish things that you see him do in stadium I saw on Georgia tape.”
Washington has started eight of the team’s 10 games, catching 18 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
The 6-foot-7, 264-pound tight end looks larger than life when matched up with defenders in open space. Nothing was more evident than the play he made on Sunday.
Washington embarrassed three different Cincinnati defenders with stiff arms and broken tackles on his way to a 32-yard gain near the end of the first half.
“Some of the freakish things I’ve seen him do this year I saw him do last year,” Tomlin said. “He had a unique run after (the catch) certainly the other day that kind of ignited our collective offensively and defensively.”
The Steelers kicked a field goal before going to the locker room and ignited a fire under the offense. Washington has become more involved in Arthur Smith’s offense and is an important piece in the red zone.
“He had a similar type of play in Indianapolis last year when we were kind of running in place offensively,” Tomlin said. “He made a play and it ignited us.”
While Jonnu Smith (26) and Pat Freiermuth (23) have more catches than Washington, he played 46 snaps and earned an 87.5 grade from PFF on Sunday. Washington caught four passes for 67 yards and was the team’s second-leading receiver.
“He’s a special athlete,” Tomlin said. “He has unique talents. He’s certainly a tough guy to deal with in one-on-one tackle circumstances. It makes him a force to be reckoned with.”
Washington looks to continue his success on Sunday against the Chicago Bears at 1 p.m.
