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Darnell Washington's recent demolition of the Bengals' secondary was so notable that it actually led to the NFL giving him an award. 

That's right. Washington, the Steelers' massive tight end, was the recipient of the 2025 NFL Way to Play Award for Week 11 for his 31-yard catch and run that saw him stiff-arm one defender, run through another and then knock over yet another Bengal before stepping out of bounds. 

"Three levels of defenders," executive vice president of NFL operations Troy Vincent said. "Watch his effort at every level. Look at the first stiff arm. Not illegal. Great distance between him and the tackler.

"He goes to the next level and runs through a second defender. Then he keeps eating. He gets the defensive back who wants no part of this.

"Last time I saw something like this you were looking at videos of Jim Brown back in the day. Excellent job, Darnell."

Anytime you're mentioned in the same sentence as Jim Brown, that's a pretty good day's work. But in Washington's case, he is in a class all by himself. 

Built like a tackle, playing tight end

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Darnell Washington
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At 6-foot-7, Washington is among the tallest tight ends in NFL history. And based on what he said recently on the St. Brown Podcast, he might be the heaviest tight end in league history, too. 

"I'm gonna keep it a buck. I'm 311," said Washington, who is listed at 264 pounds. 

Because Washington is officially listed at 264 pounds, the heaviest tight end to catch a pass in NFL history is technically former Cowboy Kendell Watkins, who was listed at 305 pounds. Watkins caught just one career pass, which came from Troy Aikman during the Cowboys' 1995 Super Bowl-winning season. 

Washington's size has essentially made him a pass-catching offensive tackle. He's two inches taller than Steelers starting left tackle Broderick Jones, who also tips the scales at 311 pounds. 

The most prominent big tight end in NFL history was 295-pound Brandon Manumaleuna, who caught 115 passes during his 10-year career. 

A weapon unlike anything in today's NFL

A 2023 third-round pick, Washington is in the midst of a breakout season. His 18 receptions is just one off his single-season high of 19 catches from last year. Against the Bengals, he caught four of his five targets for 67 yards while helping Pittsburgh (6-4) stay ahead of second-place Baltimore (5-5) in the AFC North standings. 

Why the uptick in production? 

The biggest reason is Aaron Rodgers, who compared him to former Packers teammate Marcedes Lewis shortly after he signed with the Steelers. Rodgers quickly worked to build a rapport with his new tight end; he threw a series of red zone passes to Washington during their first practices as teammates as the two continued to work on their rapport throughout the summer. 

"There was a lot of conversation about, is he in the right position?" Rodgers said earlier this season. "He's definitely in the right position, because he's so big and so athletic for a man of that size. To be that skilled in the passing game, is pretty impressive, not to mention what he does on the line of scrimmage." 

Washington's ability as a receiver -- and the mismatches it can create -- has also been embraced by Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who earlier this season made a Shaquille O'Neal reference when discussing Washington's potential as a red zone threat. 

Washington has parlayed his unique skillset into a productive season for a Steelers team that has at times had to lean on his ability as a pass-catcher given their lack of depth at receiver. 

"I don't know that he's physically gotten better," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin recently said of Washington. "We might just be discovering him. Some of the freakish things that you see him do in stadium I saw him do on Georgia tape. Some of the freakish things that I've seen him do this year I saw him do last year. He had a unique run after, certainly, the other day that kind of ignited our collective offensively and defensively. He had a similar play, I remember, in Indianapolis last year when we were kind of, you know, running in place offensively and he made a play and it kind of ignited us.

"He's a special athlete. He has unique talents. He's certainly a tough guy to deal with in one-on-one tackle circumstances, and it makes him a force to be reckoned with."

Could he redefine the position?

While Washington's success this season has been surprising to most, former teammate George Pickens said during their rookie training camp that Washington has the potential to be the greatest tight end of all-time. 

When asked about Pickens' comments, Washington offered his perspective on what success would mean for him at the NFL level. 

"Really, just playing in the league as long as possible," he said. "Giving it my all, leaving no regrets on the field, if that's practice or in the games. Just finding a rhythm and continue on that rhythm and continue to put in that work and make plays or whatever it may be."

It's easy to forget that there were rumblings not too long ago that Washington was possibly going to follow in former All-Pro Larry Brown's footsteps in terms of moving from tight end to offensive tackle. Brown, who caught the game-clinching touchdown pass in Pittsburgh's first Super Bowl win, was the team's starting left tackle when they successfully defended their title a year later against the Cowboys in Super Bowl X. 

But instead of following in Brown's footsteps, Washington is continuing to thrive in his natural position, much to the delight of his quarterback. 

"They're getting scared of him, for sure,"  Rodgers said Wednesday while referencing Washington's big play against the Bengals. "Which they should be. He's a mammoth. 

"I'm just so proud of him. Just his approach. Really, the growth I've seen since training camp is that he's continued to get his body in shape, get his mind in shape. He's a guy you don't worry about the details at all. He's very detailed-oriented, super smart player. ... He's faster than people probably think because he's so tremendously large, and he's also shifty. ... He's consistently, most of the season, made those (game-changing) plays."