In his first begin as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterback Russell Wilson turned to the underutilized Darnell Washington to make some plays in the passing game.
It resulted in 4 receptions for 36 yards within the 37-15 win over the New York Jets. It practically doubled the variety of receptions he had coming into the sport. The Steelers have given Washington extra work as a receiver this season, however it nonetheless hasn’t been sufficient.
Washington wasn’t requested to do an excessive amount of as a receiver on Sunday night time, as Wilson discovered him time and time once more on boot-action rollouts to his left. It resulted in straightforward test downs to remain in rhythm and acquired the lumbering Washington the soccer in house in opposition to defensive backs, which could be very clearly a mismatch and a nightmare for defensive backs.
For Wilson, Washington appears to be like like a man who needs to be enjoying within the NBA at his dimension. Talking with the media Thursday, Wilson praised his second-year tight finish, calling him an amazing menace for the Steelers’ offense.
“I don’t know, I really feel like he needs to be enjoying within the NBA, how massive he’s,” Wilson mentioned of Washington according to video via Steelers Live on Twitter. “You understand, I feel the largest factor about Darnell is he’s so younger, however so mature. He’s a man that’s gained a nationwide championship. He’s a man that may do something on the soccer discipline.
“He’s most likely greater than anyone else on the sector, however he can actually run and actually catch. He’s an amazing menace for us, for positive.”
The bodily instruments that Washington brings to the desk on the tight finish place are simple. He examined via the roof on the 2023 NFL Scouting Mix, placing up spectacular numbers and metrics for his dimension.
These bodily instruments haven’t all the time translated to the sector, although. Final season as a rookie, Washington was largely relegated to a blocking position for the Steelers within the Matt Canada offense, hauling in simply 7 passes in his first season.
This yr with Arthur Smith overseeing the offense, Washington is turning into an even bigger weapon within the passing sport. He had an ideal sport in opposition to the Jets with the 4 receptions, making some performs after the catch. He additionally had a great catch-and-run against the Indianapolis Colts that featured a imply stiff-arm and hurdle, and he had a touchdown in Denver on a pleasant back-shoulder throw from Justin Fields.
The skillset is there as a receiver, he simply must be utilized extra. If Week 7 in opposition to the Jets was any indication, Wilson goals on doing simply that, profiting from Washington’s dimension and skillset on the tight finish place.