The tight end position is rife for “matchup nightmares” for opposing defenses. There are players at the position who are often too big for defensive backs to cover or shed blocks from and also too fast for linebackers to keep up with in coverage consistently.

There may not be a bigger mismatch for opposing defenses at the position than the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Darnell Washington.

Pittsburgh drafted Washington in the third round, No. 93 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia. As a rookie, Washington played in less than half of the offensive snaps for the Steelers.

That made sense as the former Bulldog was viewed as a prospect with elite traits but needing some refinement in technique to stick in the NFL. In his third season, Washington’s taken a step in his development.

He’s on pace for career-highs across the board as a receiver as his role’s increased on offense under coordinator Arthur Smith. He’ll likely be featured heavily in the Steelers’ “Sunday Night Football” matchup on the road versus the Green Bay Packers.

Don’t worry, he won’t be hard to spot when he’s on the field. He’s one of the biggest players on the field in any game he’s playing.

Darnell Washington size, height, weight

Washington was the biggest tight end selected in his draft class at 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds. Only New York Jets pick Zack Kuntz could match his height at 6-foot-7.

Pittsburgh still lists his weight at 264 pounds on their roster and have since he was drafted in 2023. But that’s not necessarily true.

Steelers tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts said last season that Washington weighed over 300 pounds. Former Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson corroborated that and said Washington weighed 315 pounds towards the end of the season.

NFL broadcasters have enjoyed questioning Washington’s listed weight on their roster. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt – now an analyst for CBS – did not think that was correct when asked during the Steelers-Browns game in Week 6.

If Wilson and Roberts’ estimates are true, Washington would be the first tight end playing at 300 pounds or more since 2021 when career guard Dan Feeney was classified as a tight end for the Jets.

His combination of lineman size and tight end athleticism has seen him deployed as a blocker very often for the Steelers’ offense.

Darnell Washington stats

Washington scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Here’s how he’s done so far this season:

• Games: 6 (5 starts)
• Targets: 14
• Catches: 9
• Receiving yards: 84
• Receiving touchdowns: 1

SEATTLE (AP) — Given his youth quarterback experience, Denzel Boston said it almost felt natural to drop back to pass.

Boston, who played quarterback for six years when he was younger, threw and caught a touchdown pass, and finished with career highs of 10 catches and 153 receiving yards to lead Washington to a 42-25 victory over No. 23 Illinois on Saturday.

“That’s who he is,” coach Jedd Fisch said. “I think he’s one of the best receivers in the country. And we’ve continued to find ways to get him the ball, and we’ll always continue to do that.”

Boston, who entered the game 10th in the Big Ten in receiving yards, put the Huskies (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) up for good at 21-17 with a 12-yard TD pass to Jonah Coleman on a trick play with 40 seconds remaining in the first half.

“He’s a baller, everybody knows that,” quarterback Demond Williams Jr. said. “He continues to show that every week.”

Williams, who tossed four touchdown passes, threw a backward pass to Boston. The junior wideout promptly threw the ball across the field to a wide-open Coleman, allowing Washington to head into halftime with a lead it would not relinquish.

“It was certainly nice to see Denzel take that one and run with it and throw the ball there to Jonah,” Fisch said. “All that was really good.”

The Huskies led 14-3 after the first quarter thanks to a pair of 13-yard receiving touchdowns by Dezmen Roebuck. The Fighting Illini (5-3, 2-3) struck twice in the second quarter and took a 17-14 lead on a 5-yard touchdown pass by Luke Altmyer to Tanner Arkin.

After Arkin’s touchdown catch, though, Washington outscored Illinois 28-8. It was the Huskies’ second win against a Top 25 team under Fisch; Washington beat No. 10 Michigan 27-17 at home last season.

The Fighting Illini, meanwhile, lost for the third time in five weeks after a 3-0 start to the year in which they were ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation.

“It was great to get a win against a Top 25 team,” Fisch said. “They’re a very good football team. They won 10 games last year.”

Washington’s sixth victory matched the Huskies’ total number of wins from the 2024 campaign, which was Fisch’s first at Washington.

“It’s great that we got six wins,” Boston said. “We got many more to go.”

3rd down thriving

The Huskies entered the contest 14th in the Big Ten in third-down conversion rate during conference play, having succeeded on just 15 of 43 attempts. But on Saturday, Washington converted nine of 11 third-down opportunities.

Fisch credited Washington’s success to how the offense fared on first and second down.

“I think the biggest thing is we weren’t in a lot of third-and-longs,” Fisch said.

Ballhawk dogs

Seven games into first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ tenure, Washington ranked 69th nationally in turnovers created with eight. The Huskies generated two of them on Saturday, both coming on interceptions of Altmyer by cornerback Tacario Davis and safety Rahshawn Clark.

A jovial Fisch described that development as “awesome”.

“Takeaways are huge,” Fisch said. “I told them all week long, you get zero takeaways, you’ve got about a 25% chance to win…It was a good day in taking the ball away.”

The takeaway

Illinois: The Fighting Illini defense, which was ranked 73rd in the country in total defense heading into the game, struggled mightily against Washington’s offense. The Huskies scored on all six of their red zone opportunities, and just two of their eight drives did not end in a touchdown.

Washington: Coleman increased his career high for rushing touchdowns in a season with his 13th of the year. The senior running back has 15 total touchdowns this season to lead the Huskies in scoring.

Up next

Illinois: Hosts Rutgers on Nov. 1.

Washington: At Wisconsin on Nov. 8.

For more than a quarter of a century, bargain hunters and collectors have eagerly awaited the annual return of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts’ Treasure Sale, and this fall, the tradition continues with its 26h year. Organized by the Singer Society, the museum’s volunteer organization, the sale has become a community institution — an event that transforms the museum into a labyrinth of hidden gems, unexpected discoveries and the irresistible excitement of the hunt, with part of the reward being supporting the museum.

Unlike ordinary shopping trips, the Treasure Sale is closer to an adventure. Every corner of the sale holds the promise of something surprising: a piece of jewelry that once lit up a costume ball, a painting that’s just right for that empty space on your wall or a piece of furniture whose patina carries decades of stories.

Shoppers return year after year not just because the prices are unbeatable, but because the atmosphere crackles with possibility. There is no telling what might turn up, and that unpredictability is part of the thrill that keeps the tradition alive.