Tight End · Pittsburgh Steelers

Darnell Washington

No. 80 · 4th season

Washington is trimming down and stepping up — the Steelers want more from him

There is a version of Darnell Washington that Pittsburgh has been waiting on. That version is arriving on purpose.

Washington plays tight end — a position that asks you to block like an offensive lineman one snap and run like a wide receiver the next. At his size, he has always been one of the more physically imposing players at the position. Now, heading into 2026, he has decided that imposing is not enough. He is working to get leaner, and the team is responding: his role in the offense is expected to grow.

The combination matters. A bigger workload only helps if the player can handle it across a full season, and Washington seems to know that. Slimming down is not vanity — it is preparation for what is being asked of him.

Tight ends tend to arrive later than other skill positions. The good ones usually hit their stride somewhere in their mid-twenties, when their frame finally catches up with everything else. Washington looks like he is trying to make sure his body is ready when that moment comes.

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