The Pittsburgh Steelers inked two big players to contract extensions recently. They signed OLB Nick Herbig to a mammoth extension, and his production has been strong compared to his snap usage. The other player, TE Darnell Washington, is supremely talented.

So why did the Steelers sign Washington to an extension? Former Steelers RB Merril Hoge thinks new head coach Mike McCarthy sees how big, literally and metaphorically, an impact Washington can make on the game.

“I think that’s a Mike McCarthy advantage,” Hoge said Friday on The Steelers Standard. “Mike’s always been like this, a great strategy guy as far as matchups go. He’s got a lot of strengths, that’s one of them. And there’s just no way you wouldn’t find and couldn’t find matchups for [Washington], size-wise alone. He’s a problem. Inside the box, outside the box.

“But you’ve got to have guys that understand those things and look at the game that way,” Hoge added. “We really haven’t had offensive minds like that. Mike has brought to this table a big believer in tight ends. If you look at the foundation of our league, you’ve got to control the middle of the field. If you really want to control the field, you control the middle of the field. You find ways to do that, and he’ll [Washington] be one of those guys who helps [McCarthy] do that.”

McCarthy certainly sees Darnell Washington as a difference-maker in his offense, both as a run-blocker and as a receiver. McCarthy wants to use him as an old-school, in-line blocker who can kick out defensive ends and linebackers to carve holes through opposing defenses.

And if opponents want to load up to try to stop a resurgent Steelers rushing attack, McCarthy doesn’t have to take the mammoth Washington out of the game to attack through the air. Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals if Washington isn’t a receiving threat.

 

DARNELL WASHINGTON OH MY GLORIOUS STIFF ARM.

CINvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/vpn6NVgaFU

— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025

Will Darnell Washington become one of the top receiving tight ends under Mike McCarthy? Probably not. The Steelers also have TE Pat Freiermuth and McCarthy’s one-time tight end in Green Bay, Robert Tonyan. However, it’s easy to see how McCarthy is falling in love with Darnell Washington as a do-it-all guy that just doesn’t come around very often.

In fact, McCarthy has been so taken by Washington that he’s adjusting his scheme to better suit the tight end room as a whole. Perhaps Mike McCarthy needs Darnell Washington, and Darnell Washington needs Mike McCarthy.