Entering his second NFL season after a relatively quiet rookie season, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington finds himself in a TE-friendly offensive scheme under coordinator Arthur Smith.
In his first game in Smith’s offense, Washington didn’t make any noise as a pass catcher in the Steelers’ 20-12 preseason loss to the Houston Texans. But he made his impact felt as a blocker.
Washington was the highest-graded Steelers player on the night, coming in at a 91.7 overall. Not only was he the highest-graded player for the Steelers, he finished Week 1 of the preseason as the highest-graded tight end in the league.