Updated Feb. 24, 2026, 9:36 p.m. ET
Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington quickly became a favorite of the fans and of former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. It came at the expense of fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth. Washington suffered a broken forearm in the team’s Week 17 game and missed the final game of the season and the team’s one and only playoff game.
When Steelers General Manager Omar Khan addressed the media on Tuesday from the NFL Scouting Combine, he was asked about Washington’s injury and his role with the team. Khan gushed about Washington, leading us to believe he could be at the top of the team’s list for a contract extension this offseason.
“I’ll take 20 Darnell Washingtons,” Khan said.
Thankfully, Khan also addressed Freiermuth and acknowledged that he will be a bigger part of the offense this season and that the offense did Freiermuth a disservice in how he was used in 2025. ‘
Washington had 31 receptions for 364 receiving yards in 2025 and Freiermuth caught 41 passes for 486 yards. While we appreciate the excitement around Washington and his impact in the run game as a blocker, he’s not the team’s top tight end and the mishandling of the position last season really hamstrung the offense.
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