How Darnell Washington Changes Steelers Offense, Pat Freiermuth's Role
Despite some first-round buzz earlier this spring, Darnell Washington fell all the way to the end of the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. His fall, while unfortunate, allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to steal one of the best tight end prospects in the class.
Even after a junior season in which he showed significant improvement, with his receiving numbers improving across the board, Washington's development is still in its early stages. Now that he's found somewhere to call home for the foreseeable future, it's time to examine his fit with the Steelers' offense early on.
For starters, Washington isn't going to have to struggle for snaps out of the gate, even if he's not going to be listed atop the depth chart. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada deployed 12 personnel, meaning two tight end sets, on 22% of their offensive plays this past season, according to Sports Info Solutions. That was in the middle of the pack league-wide, but that is a number that should increase, potentially drastically, this upcoming season.
In 2022, Zach Gentry, the number two on the depth chart, was on the field for 50% of the Steelers' snaps, and it would be somewhat of a surprise if Washington didn't absorb the majority, if not the entirety, of those reps as early as next season.
Other high-powered NFL offenses, such as the Kansas City Chiefs, have really leaned into heavier personnel groupings in recent years. Over the past 10-15 years, NFL teams have gotten more pass-happy, which prompted defenses to put faster, lighter players on the field to combat this. With so many of these front seven defenders on the smaller side, Washington's monstrous frame is a perfect counter to that in the run game.
His impact extends even further because the Steelers will be able to dictate defensive personnel and thus dictate advantageous matchups to allow their weapons to thrive. It's not simply what Washington can do as a receiver but more so about what his presence can do for his teammates, specifically his partner in crime, Pat Freiermuth.
With opposing defenses likely to counter Pittsburgh's 12 personnel with their base defensive structures, the Steelers can flex Freiermuth out to the slot, where he'll be matched up with a safety or potentially even a linebacker. Both of those scenarios are mismatches in their favor. In the event that defenses respond with sub personnel, adding a defensive back to cover Freiermuth, that gives Pittsburgh the numbers and size advantage in the run game.
To further explain the selection of Washington, it's important to understand why they sought his skill set. Pittsburgh spent a second-round pick on Pat Freiermuth just a couple of years ago, and while Freiermuth is undoubtedly a huge component of the Steelers' offense, the organization really needed to find a compliment to his skill set. Freiermuth is a gifted receiver who excels on option routes and finding the soft spots in zone coverage while also being one of the better tight ends in the league after the catch. He isn't without his flaws, however. While he does operate in-line as well in the slot, Freiermuth is a below-average run blocker for NFL standards.
This isn't necessarily a shot at Freiermuth, as there are very few complete tight ends in the NFL that truly excel as a receiver and a run blockers. That's what makes Darnell Washington a near-perfect pairing for what the Steelers are missing on offense.
At 6-6, 264 pounds, he's a towering, physical force that overwhelms defenders with size and play strength. While Freiermuth shows solid effort as an in-line blocker, he's just not physical or strong enough to handle some of the responsibilities in the run game. By adding Washington to the fold, he can take over the traditional "Y" tight end role, which allows Freiermuth to become more of the "F" tight end role where he can focus on what he does best: catching passes and moving the chains.
As a blocker, Washington can do a little bit of everything. He can down block bigger defensive linemen, work double teams to the second level and work across the formation on split zone flow runs, which has been a huge component of the Steelers' zone rushing scheme in recent years. Because of his athleticism in space, he was also asked to pull on the perimeter, where you'll find him decimating smaller defenders who are left helpless. Georgia asked him to do a little bit of everything in the trenches, and he embraces the "sixth offensive lineman" mantra, which makes him exactly the type of player they've been searching for.
Everything he adds as a receiver early on is just a bonus on top, but Washington does have some intriguing traits as a receiver as well. He's a terror to tackle in open space and has shown the capability to run straight through smaller defenders. On the Steelers play action bootleg concepts, getting Washington the ball in the flats with room to run is a recipe for success. He has some build-up speed to his game to where he can create explosive plays, something that this offense has been missing for quite some time.
Washington's other role as a receiver will be as a seam buster to stretch the middle of the field. As mentioned above, he can really move for a big guy, as evidenced by his ridiculous 4.64 40-yard dash that he put up at the NFL Combine. Pittsburgh needs to be looking hard at ways to attack the middle and intermediate areas of the field, and Washington's arrival adds another big target with an unbelievable 83.75-inch wingspan to the mix.
Georgia's offense was run-heavy, which makes that part of his evaluation fairly cut and dry. With him playing beside fellow super-talented tight end, Brock Bowers, he wasn't featured heavily as a receiver much in college, so we don't have a ton of evidence as a contested catch or red zone threat. He hauled in seven of his 14 contested catch targets throughout his collegiate career, according to PFF. Conventional wisdom says that his body type and athleticism should yield positive results in this regard. With Pittsburgh finishing in the bottom third of the league in red zone efficiency last season, Washington could be called upon to assist in this regard as well.
He's supremely talented with a build we have rarely, if ever, seen at the professional level, but Washington still has some things to fine-tune, just like any rookie.
As a blocker, his hand placement is often times wildly problematic, preferring to overpower defenders with strength instead of technique. As a receiver, his catching technique could be better, as he's often seen clapping at the ball instead of forming a diamond upon arrival. With him being so freakishly tall, he's stiff in the hips, which is going to likely limit his ability to make sharp cuts and will limit his route tree throughout his career.
Darnell Washington might not ever be a fantasy football hero, but it would be pretty surprising if he wasn't at least a rock-solid contributor for a long time in this league. The possibilities on how they can maximize his skill set are going to be a fascinating thing to watch this upcoming Fall. It's no secret that if Pittsburgh wants to make a postseason run this season, their offense needs to be much more efficient and explosive in all areas. Inserting a player as gifted as Washington is certainly a step in the right direction.
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