Every so often, a player comes around who changes the game and defines his position for an era of football. And as passing defenses got smaller and faster, former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski won with physicality, without sacrificing the speed to make an impact downfield.
He is the preeminent tight end of his generation, and the position has taken a step back in his absence. One player, though, is reminding Gronkowski of how fun it is to watch a big tight end rumble.
Rob Gronkowski Shouts Out Sleeper Tight End
Gronkowski joined “Up & Adams” on Thursday, reminiscing on the impact of his size/speed combination.
He admitted that some of the hype he generated was confusing to him, but he has grown an appreciation for the game’s biggest tight ends making plays in the open field.
“That’s something that I’m realizing as well now that I’m done playing in the NFL,” Gronkowski said. “I look back at some of my highlights … It’s because I was the biggest man, the biggest man in the whole NFL running down the seam and running by DBs and linebackers and making big plays like I’m a little guy out there on the football field.”
Right now, no pass-catcher is bigger than Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington. Listed at 6’7″ and 264 pounds, while admitting that he’s playing at 311 pounds, Washington is an extra offensive tackle that happens to catch the occasional pass. He’s no Gronkowski, but for fans yearning for thunderous production after the catch, Washington fits the bill.
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“And now who also makes me realize that is Darnell Washington,” Gronkowski said. “Every time he catches the ball for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I am so intrigued, and I just cheer him on so much because I love seeing him run someone over. How big and nimble he is for how big he is, over 300 pounds. He’s not that fast, and he’s not gonna produce a crazy amount, but whenever he does catch the ball, I’m just so in love with it.”
So far this season, Washington has caught 26 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown. By PFSN’s Tight End Impact metric, Washington currently ranks 20th among 85 qualifiers. An important piece of that is his YAC/Reception Over Expectation (2.67 yards), which ranks eighth.
Washington has a handful of highlight plays to his name, even in an offense that seems to cycle through tight ends. He’s sharing the field with Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith at tight end while being used primarily as a blocker.
The stats might not be there, but Washington’s brand of physical football epitomizes the Steelers’ style, and it has earned the third-year tight end a legendary fan.
