Player
Darnell Washington
TE · Steelers
A 6'7" blocking TE expanding into a 30+ catch receiver is rare — most of his body type never reach that threshold. Washington's arc shows Pittsburgh deliberately widening his route tree each season.
From 7-catch rookie blocker to 31 catches and 364 yards in year three.
TrendWashington by season (PIT)
| Season | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 61 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 | 25 | 19 | 200 | 1 |
| 2025 | 13 | 43 | 31 | 364 | 1 |
Drafted in the 3rd round in 2023 for his blocking, Washington's receiving role has grown every year: 7 catches → 19 → 31. Yards followed: 61 → 200 → 364 in 2025.
For a 6'7", 264-lb in-line TE drafted as a blocker, this is the unusual arc — most TEs of his build never crack 30 catches in a season.
Receptions per season
| Season | Rec |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 19 |
| 2025 | 31 |
Why it matters. A 6'7" blocking TE expanding into a 30+ catch receiver is rare — most of his body type never reach that threshold. Washington's arc shows Pittsburgh deliberately widening his route tree each season.
43 targets in 13 games — still ~3 per game. He's not a route-runner, he's a chip-and-release option.
RareWashington target volume
| Season | G | Tgt | Tgt/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 | 10 | 1.3 |
| 2024 | 13 | 25 | 1.9 |
| 2025 | 13 | 43 | 3.3 |
Freiermuth target volume (for comparison)
| Season | G | Tgt | Tgt/G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 11 | 47 | 4.3 |
| 2024 | 17 | 78 | 4.6 |
| 2025 | 15 | 54 | 3.6 |
Even in his receiving-heavy 2025, Washington's target rate is 3.3 per game — below a true receiving TE like Pat Freiermuth, who averaged 3.6–4.6 targets per game over the same span. His role: block first, drag-route or flat-route second when the play call frees him from a chip assignment.
What's notable is the catch rate: 73% career (57 of 78 regular-season targets) — well above league average for TEs, because nearly every target is a high-percentage short pass after a chip block.
Why it matters. A 73% catch rate across a full career signals near-perfect target selection — he's only thrown to when open, not as a bailout. His role is defined by blocking utility first, pass-catching second.
His only 2025 TD came on a 2-yard catch — five weeks later he had his 67-yard career game, still no score.
MilestoneWashington's 2025 standout games
| Wk | Opp | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | CIN | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | CIN | 5 | 4 | 67 | 0 |
| 6 | CLE | 5 | 3 | 62 | 0 |
| 9 | IND | 6 | 4 | 43 | 0 |
| 13 | BUF | 4 | 2 | 45 | 0 |
Week 7 vs Cincinnati: 5 targets, 3 catches, 2 yards, 1 TD. Week 11 vs Cincinnati (same opponent): 5 targets, 4 catches, 67 yards, 0 TDs.
Those are Washington's two most memorable 2025 games — one defined by a red-zone score, one by career-best yardage — and they came against the same opponent five weeks apart. His production ceiling and TD production operate on entirely separate tracks.
Why it matters. Washington's TD and yardage peaks are completely decoupled: his biggest-yardage game produced zero touchdowns, his TD game produced almost zero yards. This captures how narrowly Pittsburgh deploys him in different contexts.
11.7 yards per reception in 2025 — his volume jumped, his per-catch yardage held.
SplitYards per reception
| Season | Rec | Yds | Y/Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | 61 | 8.7 |
| 2024 | 19 | 200 | 10.5 |
| 2025 | 31 | 364 | 11.7 |
Washington's yards-per-reception rose every year (8.7 → 10.5 → 11.7) even as his volume more than quadrupled. Most TEs who add volume see efficiency dip; he's done the opposite.
It's a sign the Steelers are using him on slightly deeper routes — seam stretches off play-action, not just flat-route checkdowns — though still nothing like the 14-16 yds/reception of a vertical TE.
Why it matters. Volume and efficiency rising simultaneously is rare for any TE; for a blocking-first TE it signals the Steelers are deliberately expanding his route tree beyond flat-route checkdowns into deeper seam routes.
FanIQ answers any NFL stats question with receipts, on your phone.
Get FanIQ freeGet it on Google Play