Steelers Get Good News on Darnell Washington Injury

Washington's Prior Injuries

Washington had stayed off the injury report this season prior to this week, and he's overall carried a clean bill of health in his three years as a professional.

He battled through knee injuries early in each of the past two campaigns, but he's ultimately appeared in all 42 of the Steelers' regular season games since being drafted.

The 24-year-old did, however, suffer ankle and foot injuries during his time in college at the University of Georgia, and there was reportedly some concern about his knee, which may have led to him sliding down the draft board.

Given how consistently Washington's been available in the NFL, those concerns have been completely unfounded.

Washington's Importance to Steelers

Over the first three weeks of the season, Washington played 69 offensive snaps while newcomer Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth logged a total of 117 and 97, respectively.

The Steelers began using their jumbo package more often during their Week 4 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, though, which meant Washington saw the field more often as an extra blocker who could also be deployed as a threat in the passing game.

Since then, Washington has received 201 reps on offense while Smith and Freiermuth's workload in that regard has dropped to 157 and 129 snaps, respectively.

Washington's status as an elite blocking tight end is the primary reason he continues to see the field at a prodigious rate, but he's also growing into more of a receiving threat as well.

He won't beat anyone with his speed, but Washington logged four receptions for 43 yards on six targets in a 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts last week and has a total of 127 yards to go with a touchdown since Week 4.

Washington is quickly growing into a complete package at tight end, so the hope is that he'll be ready to go vs. Los Angeles.