PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – We should all have someone say the stuff about each of us of what Aaron Rodgers says about tight end Darnell Washington. Early upon meeting him, Rodgers compared Washington to veteran Marcedes Lewis, even more praise leading up to the season opener Sunday.
Rodgers said in his 21 years of football he’s never had a more talented tight end room. They all have different skill sets. They after saying he didn’t know who the most impressive tight end was, he then said maybe it’s the biggest guy in the room.
He was speaking of the 6’7”, 265-pound Washington, a 2023 third-round pick out of Georgia.
“Because of how many things he can do down the field in the passing game,” Rodgers said. “You know, there was a lot of conversation about, is he in the right position? The other day, we had a practice during that week before the four days off, and I threw him a bunch of balls in the red zone, and I was just thinking to myself, he's definitely in the right position.”
“He's so big and so athletic, for a man of that size to be that skilled in the passing game is pretty impressive. Not to mention what he does on the line of scrimmage.”
Washington said the change with him, isn’t as much health, although he looks as good as he has in his brief pro career. Rather the big change is, he knows the plays. He’s now comfortable with the playbook where he wasn’t his first couple of years. He not only knows the play, but his role and others within it.
“I feel the more you know the playbook, the easier it gets,” Washington said.
“When they call number 80 to make a play, I can make the play. Not like ‘is he going to make it, is he not? Does he know what we have? Does he know the route?’ That’s my biggest thing, being consistent.”
And with few opportunities with other starters in the preseason, that consistency is shown at practice. He admits he hasn’t always been the greatest practice player, but now is working to make every practice count. Washington sees Jonnu Smith led the majors in catches by a tight end last year and Freiermuth is signed for three more years, but he wants to be a factor in the passing game.
“That’s the dream, my personal dreams,” Washington said. “Just got to keep building, I can sit here and dream about it. At the end of the day, it’s just showing the coaches how must trust they can put in me. They can put a play in for me. At the end of the day, it falls back on me. I got to keep working.”