Should the Broncos Call the Steelers About a Tight End Trade?

One of the positions the Denver Broncos could use additional help is at, so should they look at making a trade? Tight ends can be hard to come by, but the Pittsburgh Steelers may have too many, so the Broncos should make a call. 

Even with Evan Engram, the Broncos' tight end position leaves a lot to be desired. They have two tight ends who are best suited as third or fourth tight ends, with Nate Adkins and Adam Trautman serving as their backups. Also, while Engram is a good tight end, he isn’t an in-line tight end or much of a blocker. 

Lucas Krull and Caleb Lohner are practice-squad caliber guys to try and develop to get something out of next year or the year after, but the Broncos can use more help now. When looking over the free agent market, there isn’t much available, which points to the necessity for a trade to improve. 

That is where the Steelers come in, as they may have a surplus, especially after their trade and extension of Jonnu Smith. That takes Smith off the table, but could Pat Freiermuth or Darnell Washington be available? 

There are complications when examining Freiermuth, as he has recently signed an extension with the Steelers as well. So, while he would save almost $5 million against their salary cap, they would eat $8.4 million in dead cap. With around $10 million in cap space, it doesn’t move the needle enough financially to justify moving Freiermuth. 

That leaves Darnell Washington, a 2023 third-round pick who has played 1,134 snaps in two seasons so far. He isn’t expensive, and would cost about $1 million and $1.5 million in each of the next two seasons of his rookie deal if Denver did make a trade for him. 

Washington hasn’t done much as a receiver, with 27 catches for 270 yards in his two seasons, but his strong suit was always his blocking. While he has been fine as a blocker, he hasn’t been as elite as expected, and those are reasons why the Steelers could consider moving on and going a different way. 

The Steelers have Connor Heyward, a 2022 sixth-round pick, as their fourth tight end, and while he hasn’t seen the field more than Washington over the last two years, he has had a bigger impact. He has performed well as a blocker and been consistent enough as a receiver to step up and become the third tight end in the room. 

In the end, it seems doubtful that the Steelers would move on from Washington, as he fills one of the three main roles you want from the position and pairs well with Friermuth and Smith. With only two years under his belt, there is still plenty of potential for the Steelers to work with and develop, plus tight ends can take two to three years to develop. 

Even if the Steelers aren’t willing to move him, the Broncos should still make the call and see if there is a price that can land him that they can afford or are willing to trade. It doesn’t hurt to try, and Washington can be a solid addition to a tight end room that needs solid additions.