Darnell Washington’s weight was the Steelers’ worst-kept secret

PITTSBURGH — When Darnell Washington moves through the Steelers locker room, his 6-foot-7 frame sways with every lumbering step. With rare athleticism for a man with those imposing physical dimensions, he is one of the NFL’s most unique players. Put him in a three-point stance and he looks like an offensive lineman capable of grappling with the AFC North’s best edge rushers. Line him up wide and he can back down smaller defensive backs like a power forward, or bully them after the catch. Advertisement Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith thinks of the third-year tight end as a wildcard in his offense, a create-a-player from the Madden video game — but in real life. In that locker room a few weeks ago, a reporter posed a question that many have wondered: How much do you really weigh? A gentle giant with an easy smile and good sense of humor, Washington laughed off the question. The Steelers list him at a — clearly erroneous — 264 pounds. Come on, the scale is right here. Just step on — real quick. Again, the only response was a hearty chuckle. Many tried, but getting an answer to that question proved more difficult than trying to tackle Washington in the open field. That 264 pounds was his weight at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Why not update it? “Honestly, I don’t know,” Washington said. “I’m just like you. I see it, just keep on about my day and laugh at it.” Well, how close to 264 are you? “How close? Honestly, I don’t know.” The first indication that Washington is even bigger than his listed dimensions came last year. Tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts was detailing all the ways his tight end could be used in the offense when he accidentally let it slip. “He gives you that added dimension because he is athletic,” Roberts said. “You don’t expect a guy to be 6-7 and 300-plus — oh, I said that out loud.” Sorry Darnell Washington, your coach misspoke about your size #Steelers pic.twitter.com/0UlKpr47ps — 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) October 30, 2024 During the Steelers’ Week 7 Thursday night game against the Bengals, the Amazon broadcast listed him as “300+” pounds. But if you were looking for an exact number, well, that information was guarded as tightly as a weekly gameplan. “It’s no secret,” Washington said. “I truly just don’t know.” Or does he? When Washington was coming out of Georgia, the Steelers weren’t necessarily in the market for a tight end. Intrigued by his potential, the team hosted him for a pre-draft visit, the only tight end in that cycle to visit. When Washington slipped to the third round, the Steelers took him; the hope was that he would help slow Myles Garrett and the other dominant 4-3 defensive ends in the division. Advertisement From the moment Washington entered the league, he’s been the dominant in-line blocker the team imagined. During his first training camp, Washington proved himself by holding his own against T.J. Watt in one-on-one reps. This year during the ‘backs-on-‘backers drill, Washington stood up another edge rusher. “Not bad for a tackle,” one teammate chirped. “Pay me like it then,” Washington quipped back. The Steelers have highlighted Washington’s physicality even more so this season by lining him up next to extra offensive lineman Spencer Anderson in their jumbo packages. When a tackle (like Broderick Jones on the left side, or Troy Fautanu on the right), Washington and Anderson line up shoulder-to-shoulder, the Steelers have three 300-plus pound humans on the same side of the formation. “I think it was a George Young quote about the Franco Harris debate that’s in Chuck Noll’s book,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “He said, this was settled 2000 years ago when Alexander the Great came riding in on elephants. That’s kind of what it looks like. You put the tackle over, you’ve got 1,000 pounds over there.” This season, Aaron Rodgers has helped unlock another dimension. The veteran quarterback was immediately intrigued by Washington’s physical dimensions; he often likened Washington to former teammate Marcedes Lewis, who was listed a 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds. With Rodgers behind center and Smith calling the plays, Washington has caught 18 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. With seven games to go, he already has more receiving yards than last season, and he’s one reception short of last year’s total. DJ Turner II was one of three Bengals defenders to feel the brunt of Darnell Washington during the tight end’s 31-yard catch-and-run on Sunday. (Justin K. Aller / Getty Images) If he looks at times like a grown man playing against children, that’s exactly how he feels, too. When he was a kid growing up in the Las Vegas area, Washington and his friends used to play a game called “Three Flags Up.” The rules are simple: One person throws the ball into the air. Everyone else jumps to try to catch it. First person to catch the ball three times wins. Advertisement “Honestly, it just takes me back to the childhood days...

Darnell Washington’s weight was the Steelers’ worst-kept secret

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