Steelers Now
During an appearance on the Why Is Draymond Green Talking About Football with Jordan Schultz podcast, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington revealed that he weighed 330 pounds at one point this past offseason. That’s bigger than any offensive lineman on the Steelers’ roster.
Washington has since dropped that weight, playing at 311 pounds this year. Washington is listed at 264 pounds on the team’s official website.
“I do feel a lot better lighter,” Washington said. “But not too light. I feel like, ideal weight for me, if I had to say, like 285, 280. Because I’m blocking dudes 280, 290, could be 300. … For sure, not 330. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been there before. Offseason, I’ve been up to 330. It just feels different. Something I don’t want to play at. It’s gonna be ugly if I play at 330.”
“Mount Washington,” a fitting nickname for the big tight end out of Georgia, had a banner day in the Steelers’ 34-12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11, recording four receptions for 67 yards (16.8 average).
Kyle Brandt of NFL Network named Washington as the Week 11 Angry Runs winner for his viral play against the Bengals when he bulldozed through three defenders.
Washington was nominated three times for his 31-yard catch and run, one time for each of the Bengals defenders he demolished. It’s the first time one player swept the finalist nominations.
Washington suffered a broken left wrist after a reception during his team’s road loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. He remained in the game for a few more plays before heading off. Washington had two grabs in the first quarter of that contest, picking up 15 yards.
Washington, who’s emerged as one of Aaron Rodgers’ preferred targets, had surgery on his broken left wrist on Dec. 30. Washington was placed on injured reserve.
Rodgers said earlier this season that defenses were starting to respect Washington’s receiving talents, especially with what he could do to punish would-be tacklers after the catch.
“They’re getting scared of him, for sure. They should be,” Rodgers said. “He’s a mammoth. He jumped over a guy. He stiff-armed a guy to the ground, ran a guy over, made another guy miss a tackle. Then he had a block where he knocked two guys down. … I’m just so proud of him, really just his approach and the growth I’ve seen since training camp as he’s continued to get his body in shape, get his mind in shape.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers TE Darnell Washington Makes Shocking Revelation
