Darnell Washington Makes Statement With Wins Over T.J. Watt

UNITY TWP., Pa — Darnell Washington was out to make a statement. On Tuesday, the Steelers took the field in pads for the first time at training camp. But one guy looked forward to the day more than most. That guy was none other than Darnell Washington.

Washington looked most forward to the day with pads because without them, his best trait, his run blocking, could not be shown off to the coaches. Now that the pads are officially on, Washington bounced back, in doing so, he took down T.J. Watt in backs on backers not once but twice.

“I mentioned it with the other guys, but I love challenges,” Washington said. “You have to embrace things and face those things head-on, so there’s no backing down. You need to go into things like that confidently. I looked forward to putting on the pads. You know, I wanted to showcase what I could do in the pads because, without them, it’s not real football.”

He stonewalled T.J. Watt not once but twice. The first time was the cleanest rep. Watt tried to ghost move Washington and Washington got his hand under him and squared him up in front. The second time Watt came to power and Washington stood him up. Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig got Washington later with two ghost moves, but his reps against Watt are notable.

Washington still has things to clean up in his route running. But even there today, he went up and made a circus catch over James Pierre. Take it from anyone that saw Washington today, they most likely ended up either on the ground or moved out of their gap. That is what the Steelers want to see from their big tight end. As he continues to grow, the team’s role for him could grow as well.