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Darnell Washington Impressing, Learning from Former Bulldog at Steelers Training Camp

Former Georgia tight end Darnell Washington has been impressive at training camp so far and has received some help from another former Bulldog with the Steelers.

Jonathan Williams

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) completes a catch in the second quarter of a Week 12 NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at Paycor Stadium.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) completes a catch in the second quarter of a Week 12 NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at Paycor Stadium. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Former Georgia tight end Darnell Washington has been impressive at training camp so far and has received some help from another former Bulldog with the Steelers.

There are several NFL organizations that have started to heavily target Georgia football prospects during the draft. The Philadelphia Eagles are the most famous example but the Pittsburgh Steelers have also taken on the mindset. One of the former Bulldogs the drafted is tight end Darnell Washington and he is entering a pivotal second season with the organization, and based on the word out of camp, he is off to a great start.

Washington played in 17 games last season, started in seven of them and reeled in seven receptions for 61 receiving yards. He is still finding his footing in the professional football league, and it seems like he has started to find that in training camp this year.

"First, he stole the show during backs-on-backers. With the pads coming on, the physicality ramped up and Washington was unstoppable against the Steelers edge rushers. During the day, he shut down David Perales and Nick Herbig with easy, making it seem almost effortless to stop them. Then, he found himself on the receiving end of multiple passes from Fields and Kyle Allen during team drills. Washington has taken a step forward in the receiving game this summer. Meanwhile, his blocking continues to look dominant," Noah Strackbein from Pittsburgh Steelers on SI wrote.

Washington's ability to add in as an extra blocker is one of his strongest skill sets. His massive frame allows him to essentially tack in as another offensive tackle at the end of the line. Despite that being one of his better skills, he has taken time at practice to work on that. When asked who he would credit his blocking technique to, he named a former and current teammate of his.

"[Jones] taught me some things like the footwork and getting back, getting depth, kick stepping a little bit, hand placement - stuff like that," Washington said. "I feel like [Broderick] gave me some helpful tips."

Broderick Jones is who Washington is talking about. Another former Georgia Bulldog that the Steelers drafted. Jones was one of the best offensive tackle prospects in the 2023 draft class and played a major role for the Steelers as a rookie. Perhaps not a better player to get some help on blocking technique from than Jones, especially considering he and Washington go back to their days in college with one another. They were also in the same recruiting class coming out of high school.

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