Not so long ago, Jaylen Warren made defenses start thinking about him, and now it’s Darnell Washington’s turn. The big Steelers tight end garnered national attention this week following a series of bruising catches against the Bengals. Cincinnati’s defenders talked about reconsidering their strategy against him, and the Bears are already contemplating, as well.
Asked if defenders are going to start questioning how to tackle him, Washington said, “Hopefully,” via the Steelers’ website. “Personally, I don’t got no deep bag. I’m not a Calvin Austin kind of guy. You pretty much know what’s coming: either the shoulder or the hurdle. Something like that, within them lines. I guess they’ve just got to go in with a plan.”
On just one of his catches last Sunday, Darnell Washington stiff-armed one defender, shook off another, and shoulder-charged a third. It earned him an Angry Run scepter, which looks like a novelty toothpick juxtaposed against his 6-7, 311-pound frame.
“Truth be told, I just go out there and do it,” Washington said of his plan of attack to combat would-be tacklers. “I just pretty much take what they give me. You know, that smaller shoulder, maybe the hurdle, or maybe just lower the shoulder. Really just depending on how I’m feeling.”
As we have seen in the past, hurdling is very much in his toolbox. Washington said the first time he hurdled was in high school, even though it was illegal. He said he did it to avoid injury, but it’s legal in the NFL, and makes for some highlights.
Darnell Washington finished last Sunday’s game with four catches for 67 yards, making career-best numbers. The Steelers acknowledge they may be just beginning to tap his potential, which is an exciting thought. Of course, while his 311-pound frame is imposing, it does come with some limitations. But there’s no denying that he has a unique athletic profile, doing things humans his size rarely do.
For most of his career, though, the Steelers have not used him heavily in the passing game. In fairness to the coaches, nobody ever has, and there’s probably a reason for that. Earlier this year, he admitted that he is still learning his craft from a receiving perspective, as it was never a big part of his game before. Even though he always wanted a bigger role, he understood his blocking was what buttered his bread.
Still, one has to wonder where the ceiling is for all this. What type of receiver can Darnell Washington be? How much of a workload can he sustain from that perspective? He even admitted that part of the reason he might hurdle was to limit the number of hits to his knees, which he also admitted have been an issue in the past.
