Steelers' Darnell Washington: Reels in three passes Monday
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Washington caught three of his four targets for 25 yards in Monday's 28-15 win over Miami.
Washington was able to clear the protocol for head injuries and play Monday after sustaining a concussion Week 14 against the Ravens. The tight end secured multiple passes for the fourth time in five games and the eighth time overall this year. Washington has now caught 26 of 37 targets for 288 yards and a touchdown over 14 contests this season.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Cleared to play Monday
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The Steelers announced Sunday that Washington cleared concussion protocol and no longer carries a designation for Monday's game against the Dolphins.
After logging three straight limited practice this week, Washington had initially been listed as questionable for the contest. Now that he's been cleared to play Monday, the tight end will be able to maintain his growing role in Pittsburgh's passing game. Over his last three games, Washington has reeled in five of his seven targets for 79 yards, though it's worth noting that Washington was forced out of the Week 14 win over the Ravens after logging just 15 snaps on offense.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Limited Thursday, still in protocol
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Washington (concussion) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Washington remains in concussion protocol, which he entered after being concussed during this past Sunday's win over the Ravens. In order to clear the protocol and be eligible to suit up Monday against the Dolphins, Washington will need to upgrade to full participation by Saturday and gain clearance from an independent neurologist.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Won't return Sunday
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Washington (concussion) won't return to Sunday's game against the Ravens. Burt Lauten of the Steelers' official site reports.
Washington, who caught his only target in the contest for 12 yards, will thus target a potential return to action Dec. 15 against the Dolphins. Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward are left to handle Pittsburgh's TE duties for the remainder of Week 14 action.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Records 45 yards
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Washington recorded two receptions on four targets for 45 yards in Sunday's 26-7 loss to the Bills.
Washington's modest performance was good enough to lead the Steelers in receiving yards, and he finished tied for second on the team in targets. Those thresholds were more indicative of the poor offensive showing for the Steelers, though Washington continues to gain more of a role as a receiver. He has at least four targets in three of his last five games -- logging at least 40 receiving yards in all three -- after hitting that mark only twice in his first eight contests.
Washington (foot) practiced fully Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Washington didn't practice Wednesday, but his return to a full session a day later suggests that his absence was maintenance-related. In the Steelers' Week 9 win over the Colts, Washington led his team's tight ends in catches (four) and receiving yards (43) while logging six targets, but his production this season has been hit or miss due to the fact that Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth also are commanding their share of Pittsburgh's TE snaps and targets.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Participating in practice Thursday
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Washington (foot) returned to practice Thursday, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Washington didn't practice Wednesday, but his return Thursday is encouraging, though it remains to be seen if he'll manage to practice without limitations. Working as part of a rotation alongside Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, Washington has accrued 127 yards receiving yards and one touchdown through eight games. He hasn't missed a regular-season game in his three-year career heading into Sunday's road matchup against the Chargers.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Best yardage total of career
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Washington recorded three receptions on five targets for 62 yards in Sunday's 23-9 win over the Browns. He also fumbled, but the ball went out of bounds.
Washington continues to emerge in the Pittsburgh offense, as he led the tight end corps in targets and receiving yards. His involvement began immediately, as he recorded a 36-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage. Washington later chipped in gains of 12 and 14 yards, both of which came primarily after the catch. The end result was Washington's best yardage total of his career, and he seems to have surpassed Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth for targets in the Pittsburgh offense.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Sees uptick in playing time
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Washington secured all three of his targets for 20 yards during Sunday's 24-21 win over the Vikings.
Washington was targeted just once over the first three weeks of the regular season while playing less than half of the team's offensive snaps during that time. However, Jonnu Smith was limited in practice this week, and Washington was on the field for 91 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps during the matchup in Dublin. While it was encouraging to see Washington get more involved, his role will likely decline if Smith is able to shed his limitations following the team's Week 5 bye.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Targeted once in defeat
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Washington failed to secure his lone target during Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Seahawks.
Washington matched Pat Freiermuth's snap count during last week's regular-season opener. However, Washington played just 36 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps in Week 2 compared to 51 percent for Freiermuth and 56 percent for Jonnu Smith. Washington was targeted for the first time this season despite his slight decrease in playing time, but he appears unlikely to have a fantasy-relevant role in 2025.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Finds end zone in preseason win
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Washington secured his lone target for a 19-yard touchdown during Saturday's 31-25 preseason win over Jacksonville.
Washington started in Saturday's preseason opener and put the team on the board with a touchdown reception to cap off Pittsburgh's first drive of the game. While the 2023 third-rounder saw his role grow slightly last season, he'll have increased competition for targets behind Pat Freiermuth in 2025 after the Steelers acquired Jonnu Smith from the Dolphins.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Logs four catches in victory
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Washington secured all four of his targets for 36 yards during Sunday's 37-15 win over the Jets.
Washington found plenty of success under new starting quarterback Russell Wilson on Sunday, tallying career-high marks in receptions and receiving yards. While Washington had an encouraging performance Sunday and could establish more value if he can maintain a connection with Wilson, the second-year tight end has secured 10 of 11 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown over his first seven appearances of the season, so he hasn't been a very reliable fantasy option.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Logs two receptions in Week 4
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Washington secured both of his targets for 31 yards during Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Colts.
Washington didn't have more than five receiving yards in any of the first three games of the season, but he tallied double-digit yards on both of his receptions during Sunday's defeat. He still didn't see as much work as starting tight end Pat Freiermuth, who secured five of seven targets for 57 yards and a touchdown. Although Washington looked good when he had the ball in his hands Sunday, he hasn't yet carved out a high enough target share to make him a reliable fantasy option.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Minimal production in win
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Washington secured his lone target for five yards during Sunday's 18-10 win over the Falcons.
Although Washington was on the field for 54 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps Sunday, he didn't see much work in the passing game. Despite appearing in all 17 games during his rookie season in 2023, he didn't have more than one reception in any outing and could struggle to see many targets once again this year, especially if starting tight end Pat Freiermuth stays healthy.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Absent Thursday
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Washington (knee) did not practice Thursday.
Washington wasn't listed on the injury report Wednesday, so this is a new issue for the second-year tight end. Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt would be in line for expanded roles behind Pat Freiermuth if Washington can't play Sunday against the Falcons.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Could see more opportunities
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In his second season as a pro, Washington believes that there's a "strong possibility" he can emerge as more of a receiving threat, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
In 17 regular-season contests as a rookie last season, Washington caught just seven of his 10 targets for 61 yards, but with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on board, the 2023 third-rounder is a candidate to see more pass-catching opportunities in what figures to be a more tight-end friendly offense in Pittsburgh. At 6-foot-7, 264 pounds, Washington has the size to continue to make his mark as a run blocker, but the Georgia product has some untapped potential as a receiver and should have an opportunity to demonstrate that more in 2024, while working behind top option Pat Freiermuth in a TE corps that also includes Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Minimal production in victory
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Washington secured his lone target for eight yards during the Steelers' 34-11 win over the Bengals on Saturday.
Washington's snap count bounced back to 29 offensive snaps Saturday after he played just 13 snaps last week, but his production remained limited, even in a comfortable victory over Cincinnati. He was the team's most productive tight end since Pat Freiermuth was held without a target, but Washington shouldn't be a fantasy-relevant player to close out the season.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Goes without target in Week 13
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Washington played 34 of the Steelers' 61 snaps on offense and went without a target in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals.
Washington has played more than half of the Steelers' snaps on offense in three of the past four contests, but the big-bodied rookie out of Georgia been deployed mainly as a blocking tight end. He's drawn just seven targets over his 12 appearances on the season and will likely see limited involvement as a pass catcher down the stretch, especially now that Pat Freiermuth is back in the fold after a recent stint on injured reserve.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Tallies one catch Sunday
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Washington secured his lone target for eight yards during the Steelers' 13-10 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.
Although Pat Freiermuth returned to action Sunday, Washington continued to see his fair share of playing time, as he was on the field for 47 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps compared to Freiermuth's mark of 53 percent. However, neither tight end was able to generate much production in the low-scoring matchup. It wouldn't be surprising to see Freiermuth's snap count continue to rise as he regains his conditioning, so Washington's fantasy potential could diminish over the next few weeks.
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Steelers' Darnell Washington: Minimal production in Week 9
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Washington secured his lone target for seven yards during the Steelers' 20-16 win over the Titans on Thursday.
Although Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) remained on injured reserve in Week 9, Washington failed to generate much production in the Steelers' passing game. Although Connor Heyward was limited to just two receptions for 16 yards, he appears to have established himself as Pittsburgh's clear top tight end with Freiermuth unavailable.
