PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers have their right tackle of the future already on their roster. There is no need to spend a first-round pick on one. He’s on the team and under control for three more years at a very team-friendly salary. He just doesn’t know he’s a tackle yet.
Tight end Darnell Washington is the Steelers next right tackle.
The reason Dan Moore wasn’t moved over to the right side was to not impact two positions in 2023, but clearly it’s time for first-round pick Broderick Jones to move to the left side in 2024. Moore is not a right tackle, they could move him there, but Steelers coaches thought he wasn’t good enough there last year, why would that change with Moore going into the final year of his rookie deal.
Chukwuma Okorafor won’t be an option to resume as the starting right tackle. He will be released and the team will save $8.7 million according to overthecap.com.
They could look at using a first-round pick for a right tackle, even with needs at interior offensive linemen (most notably center), corner, safety, wide receiver, defensive line, inside linebacker. No, what they need to do is what nfl.com projected last year when Washington left Georgia.
“Washington could become a dominant run blocker with better technique, which makes me wonder if a team might give him a look at offensive tackle at some point in his career,” wrote NFL.com NFL analyst Lance Zierlein a year ago.
That point is now.
The Georgia product is 6’7”, 264 pounds (that was the weight at the NFL Combine, probably add at least 10 pounds since then). He has nearly 35” arms and ranked high in athleticism.
The issue is tight end is a vertical position. You don’t have to watch practice to see that he’s not a vertical threat. Today’s NFL tight ends get down the field, not just with quick 40-times, but agility that Washington doesn’t have. He was always known for his blocking.
Mike Tomlin referred to him after the NFL Draft as a sixth offensive lineman. Jones praised Washington’s blocking when they were teammates at Georgia. As Steelers center Mason Cole said, he’s a cheeseburger away from being a tackle. Washington said he has always embraced the physical nature of the game.
It sounds like a line from Star Wars, but tackle is his destiny. Washington would be a far superior tackle than he ever will be a tight end. If you think, well what about him as a red-zone target? There is always tackle eligible, but tackle, not tight end.
“I would add 40 pounds on Darnell Washington and make him a tackle,” said former Pitt QB Pat Bostick on the Fan Morning Show. “I would bump Dan Moore inside, Broderick Jones moves over to the left tackle and James Daniels moves to center. He’s played center before.”
Bostick said he realizes this transition typically happens at the college level rather than in the pros, but Washington has the body and athleticism to hold off edge rushers.
Here is an incentive if the 22-year-old would still want to be a tight end. The top 34 offensive tackles make at least $10 million. The top 12 tight ends make $10 million according to spotrac.com. The pay increases dramatically.
It’s not like you are taking a weapon away from a quarterback, in 511 snaps in 2023, Washington was targeted with passes 10 times.
An offseason is long enough. You are bringing aboard a new offensive coordinator and potentially a new offensive line coach. It’s a time of transition anyway. Even if Pat Meyer is retained as the O-line coach, he knows of Washington’s abilities.
Moore stays on the roster as a swing tackle and you make the move that makes the most sense and won’t take away from other positions of need, you move Darnell Washington to tackle, for good.