Can the jumbo personnel package, featuring Darnell Washington, become a staple for the Steelers offense?

Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 6, 2025

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — It happens all the time in college. Positions coaches will play tug-of-war over players. Maybe it’s a receiver who also is a talented defensive back. Or tight end who can become an elite edge rusher (T.J. Watt, anyone?)

It rarely happens in the NFL with established players, but oversized tight end Darnell Washington is capturing the imagination of everyone, including those inside the Steelers’ facility on the South Side, with his potential dual-threat versatility.

Just don’t expect Alfredo Roberts, his position coach, to give up his player without a fight.

“The conversation about him playing tackle … I’m not pushing that, but his mentality, if he had to, I think he could,” Robert said last week. “He is uniquely skilled with size and speed that he can play the position he plays.”

Yes, Washington is doing just fine as a tight end. Listed at 6 feet, 7 inches and now weighing 300 pounds, he can cave in opposing defensive ends with his strength as a run blocker. He played a season-high 48 snaps against the Vikings and helped the Steelers jump-start their stagnant run game.

But he’s much more than an extra tackle at the end of the line of scrimmage. Washington also is athletic enough to run routes and catch passes, which is extremely rare for a player his size. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likened him to NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal earlier this season.

“Throw it to Shaq in the post,” Smith said.

That’s what Aaron Rodgers did in the Week 2 loss to the Seahawks when he big-manned his Seattle defender and easily reeled in a two-point conversion. He made it look all too easy.

In the 24-21 victory over the Vikings, Washington caught three passes for 20 yards. He was the only tight end to catch a pass in the game.

“I love to see that guy come to work,” Roberts said. “He makes me feel good every time I come into the building. I love to see his growth and his confidence over the past few years. He had more opportunities this past weekend. That was great for us and for him.”

What it all means for the Steelers tight ends going forward is anyone’s guess. Washington’s usage in the run-centric game plan meant the Steelers barely played Pat Freiermuth (15 snaps) and Jonnu Smith (13).

It’s a bit unusual to underutilize two of your highest-paid players, but the coaches viewed it as necessary if the Steelers wanted to improve their running game. Freiermuth and Smith are pass-catching tight ends by trade. They are willing run-blockers, but it’s not their forte.

The Steelers subbed them out for Washington and 6-5, 205-pound offensive lineman Spencer Anderson, who played 19 snaps as a tight end.

“That was part of the game plan and we ran the ball really well,” Freiermuth said. “We had a fantastic game, and we won the game so I was super pumped for Darnell and Spence.”

The question now is whether the jumbo package becomes a staple for the offense or merely an occasional package. The Steelers had their highest scoring output of the season against the Jets, but in many ways the Vikings game represented their most complete game.

And, more importantly, for many inside the building, it’s the way they want to play. The Steelers want to be a physical team that controls the line of scrimmage. If the run game is consistent they believe the passing game will benefit because defenses have to respect it more than they have.

Game plans will vary week to week and from opponent to opponent, but the manner in which the Steelers controlled the Vikings game makes their big personnel package an attractive option.

“We saw something with that team where we could go heavier and do that and build off of that,” offensive line coach Pat Meyer said. “We have a heavy tight end as it is anyways. He’s bigger than most of the linemen.

“Will we continue to do that? We’ll talk about it. I can’t say we’ll do it every week or we won’t. We’ll have to look at it. It worked out well for us. Spencer did a nice job for us. He’s a big, twitchy, athletic and physical lineman. It was a way to get him on the field. And obviously we trust him to protect on the edge, too. It’s something we’ll look at each and every week.”

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