The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense seemed to be on a roll during the first half of their Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos. While Justin Fields and the offense managed to move the unit down the field enough for Chris Boswell to kick field goal after field goal, they were also able to get in the end zone against the Broncos for the first time this season. It came via a magnificent touchdown pass to tight end Darnell Washington, the first of his career and the team's only TD so far of the season.
Washington was a third-round pick in 2023 out of Georgia, where he won two College Football Championships with the Bulldogs. At 6'7" and roughly 265 pounds, Washington is an imposing figure on the field. However, he was barely thought of in Matt Canada's offense, having only seven catches on 10 targets for 61 yards and no touchdowns last season.
The narrative began to change this offseason with the addition of new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith, and his propensity for using multiple tight ends. Even new Steelers quarterback, Russell Wilson predicted that 2024 would be a breakout season for Washington. He applauded Washington for more than just his size, calling him knowledgeable and competitive. Wilson couldn't have predicted that the first opportunity for that touchdown pass wouldn't come from him, but from Fields.
Former Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger recently expressed how impressed he was by Washington during the most recent episode of his podcast, Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger. The future Hall of Famer said he was surprised that Smith didn't use the tight ends more in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, and he was glad to see that change in Denver. He mentioned how Pat Freiermuth had several nice, big catches and a solid run on one of them along the sideline.
"We've been clamoring for Darnell Washington to get some more work," said Roethlisberger. "He's huge, known as a blocker. They split him out today, he ran a patient fade where he took his time. A lot of times, guys want to just go, he took his time. Justin [Fields] threw a great, high, back shoulder ball, and the big fellow adjusted, made the catch, got the touchdown, and that's what I wanted to see down there. Because we talked about this last week, the red zone and their issues. They got down there a bunch, but couldn't score. They got down there today and scored a touchdown. That's what you want to see."
Last season, it felt like Washington and Freiermuth had different strengths. Freiermuth is known to have good hand skills; he easily makes catches, but struggles with physical blocking. Washington is the opposite. Unsurprisingly, he is an excellent blocker, given his size, but he needed to work on his receiving abilities.
Steelers Are Relying On Their Tight Ends
When the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson at the start of the offseason, most people expected the team would replace him. While they seemed to try with Brandon Aiyuk, it didn't pan out. Now, the team lacks a solid number-two receiver to help take pressure off of George Pickens. It is true that they did draft Roman Wilson, but besides being sidelined with an injury, he is a rookie and likely needs time to develop.
That means Smith, who's always utilized tight ends, will lean on them even more. During the first two games, receivers not named Pickens have barely been involved. Van Jefferson, who's been vocal about wanting to prove himself, had only 15 yards receiving between the two games. Calvin Austin III had only 13. The tight ends combined however, (Freiermuth, Washington, and MyCole Pruitt), had 85. In just the Falcons game, running back Jaylen Warren has more receiving yards than each depth receiver in two games with 19 yards.
There is still no word about whether and when Russell Wilson will be healthy enough to start, but if Fields remains the starting quarterback, then Smith will have to begin opening the playbook up a bit to allow the receiving corps to be involved even more.
