The Pittsburgh Steelers are not sitting around during the dog days of the NFL offseason. They just struck one of the craziest offseason trades you'll ever see with the Miami Dolphins, sending defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.
The Steelers' decision to add Jonnu Smith -- a favorite of Arthur Smith's -- to the mix has led to some questioning of the future status of third-year tight end Darnell Washington. Washington was a late-third-round pick for the Steelers in 2023 and a player many Denver Broncos fans were sad to miss out on in that particular class.
With both Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith expected to take the lion's share of snaps at tight end in Pittsburgh, could the Broncos be getting gift-wrapped a chance at NFL Draft redemption?
Darnell Washington should be on Broncos radar after Steelers blockbuster trade
The tight end position was one of the first areas the Denver Broncos addressed in the 2025 offseason when they pursued free agent Evan Engram. Engram is a dynamic pass-catching threat who nearly set the NFL record for receptions in a season by a tight end just two years ago (114).
Engram's inclusion in the lineup is exciting for the Broncos, but he does come with some injury baggage throughout his NFL career. The Broncos hope he can stay healthy, but do they have the depth to withstand any lengthy absence?
That, nobody's sure about.
Even with Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins back, along with Lucas Krull and the addition of seventh-round rookie Caleb Lohner, the Broncos could stand to upgrade their tight end group.
Washington has two years left on his rookie deal, he's a 10/10 on the RAS (Relative Athletic Score) scale, and he might be on the cusp of hitting his stride as an NFL player. The Broncos got a front row seat last season when the Steelers came to Denver and Washington caught a touchdown in the tight red zone.
Up to this point, that's actually the lone touchdown of Washington's NFL career so far. He's not as much of a pass-catching threat as I (and others who liked him in the pre-draft process) assumed he would be, but he's as-advertised as a blocker.
And the upside as a receiver still remains.
It might not cost much to get him off of Pittsburgh's hands at this point. The Broncos could easily justify moving on from either Nate Adkins or Lucas Krull in favor of someone like Washington, who could ascend to the team's TE1 role within the next 2-3 years. Given the fact that this team wants to run the ball a ton as well, having another physical blocking option besides Trautman could also be beneficial. Nobody in that group currently can provide the type of floor necessary should someone like Trautman go down.
The Broncos need to take a shot on the upside of Washington, fix a mistake they made in the 2023 NFL Draft, and see what the Steelers want for him.