"You interviewed him yet?"
This was Rodney Williams, reserve tight end, pointing across the Steelers' locker room toward Darnell Washington this week at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. And he was asking this of ... someone who'd just gotten done interviewing Washington.
Which I then shared.
"Well, you should go interview him again!" Williams persisted. "And take a bunch of cameras! And some friends! Because he's that good! Everybody should be interviewing him all the time!"
He was kidding, of course -- at least I think he was -- but the broader emphasis wasn't without merit. Press play on what's below:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSvideos) September 15, 2023
That's none other than the NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year. That's Nick Bosa. That's a $170 million pancake. That's part of an overall performance that saw Washington, in his professional debut, allow zero pressures on his quarterback over his 24 snaps with the offense. Which is to say nothing of several other blocks and outright burials that weren't as spectacular but were still solid.
And that, my friends, is the Mount Washington effect that's got his teammates, but particularly his fellow tight ends, so stoked. Because this, I'm told, was a reel shown repeatedly in that positional room earlier this week.
"Clinic tape," Williams called it upon finally turning serious. "That's how it's done right there."
I'd broached all this with Washington himself a couple minutes earlier and, maybe because of an awareness that it can be unsightly for a rookie to boast following a 23-point loss, he didn't take it too far.
"I feel like there were some good things," Washington told me. "There's a lot of work to be done. For all of us."
There sure is. Including for him, though the other component's out of his control. Because he also ran 16 passing routes, was wiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open on several, and never once was targeted by Kenny Pickett. Out of 45 total passes. With nine other receivers having been targeted.
That doesn't make sense on its surface, and it makes less sense given that Pat Freiermuth was pushing through a first-quarter chest injury. There was another option for Pickett and Matt Canada at hand, one with a sky-high ceiling, and it wasn't utilized.
Maybe that was part of the message being sent by Williams, huh?
Whatever the case, anticipate Washington remaining a massive part -- literally and schematically -- of the Steelers' plans up front. Doubly so with the Browns' Myles Garrett at hand. Heck, triply so with fellow rookie Broderick Jones possibly seeing his first NFL action and not on his natural left side but on the right, pending the concussion outlook for Chuks Okorafor. Garrett bounces across the line, so he won't be any one player's responsibility, but Washington can -- and has -- shifted to either side himself.
Hey, if he can take down one DPOY, what's another?
MORE STEELERS
• The official injury report's already a long enough list to depress anyone, but I'm here to attest that there are more guys bruised, banged up and limping around than what that shows. As in many more. Make no mistake: The amazing statistic from 2022 that teams went 0-15 the week after losing to the 49ers comes with meat on that bone. They do significant damage.
• Although Mike Tomlin's been advising players to stay loose, apparently out of concern they'll allow that opener to snowball, the week really hasn't gone that way at all. It's been "all business," as Kwon Alexander told me. Not that there were issues beforehand, but this is a whole new level of seriousness. And Exhibit A has been Pickett. A lot quieter. A lot more intense.
• Expect Tomlin to stick by his two outside corners, Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace, and leave Joey Porter Jr. on the sideline far more often than not. For one, Peterson's internal grading from the opener wasn't as harsh as Brandon Aiyuk's two touchdowns might have one think. For another, there's a general sentiment inside the team that Porter's better off being brought along slowly.
• Part of the reason Calvin Austin III will be taking Diontae Johnson's place in the offense -- and his reps -- is their semi-similar styles, quickness, ability to get open. Another is that the Steelers have no wish to move veteran Allen Robinson back to the outside now that he's fully assimilated in the slot.
• On much the same note, although Keeanu Benton acknowledged to me he'll have a prominent role in replacing Cam Heyward, it won't be a one-for-one. He'll have ample assistance from regular rotations of Montravius Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk, DeMarvin Leal (who told me his elbow's fine, by the way) and maybe Larry Ogunjobi (whose foot still isn't fine), plus a freshly activated Armon Watts. The hope's that the rotation leads to extra energy and makes up, in part, for the lost experience.
• If I never hear Nick Chubb's name again, it'll be too soon. Only thing anyone's talking about in the Steelers' world. And not by accident. That's the head coach setting up a battle within the battle. Does it a lot.
PIRATES
• Jason Delay's sticking around. The current backup catcher's very much in line to remain the future backup catcher, from what I've learned. And that's not just because of his handling of the pitching staff's most important member, Mitch Keller, who's got a 1.52 ERA in nine starts with Delay behind the plate compared to 10.80 ERA in four starts with Endy Rodriguez. Rather, it's because Ben Cherington places immense, arguably outsized, value on a catcher's defense, and Delay's impressed management in that capacity for a long time.
• What's that mean for Henry Davis? No one's about to blurt that out, but don't overthink it.
• Just because Jack Suwinski can play center field doesn't mean he's the optimal choice for center, in management's eyes. But then, one look at a layout for 2024, and it's tough to conceive how there'd be another option. If Suwinski slides to right, that leaves nowhere for Davis. And neither's going anywhere.
• Quinn Priester has, in fact, been told to throw more fastballs. Priester has, in fact, shown more velocity. Breathtaking how that works, huh?
• No one's talking about a positional switch for Oneil Cruz. Absolutely no one.
• I asked Rodriguez this week why he's always the happiest guy in the clubhouse. And without hesitation, he pointed across the room and snapped, "Peggy!" To Liover Peguero. Fair enough. The Pirates are fortunate to have two of them.
PENGUINS
• This feels like it should be accompanied by the standard eyeroll emoji, but I'm told that young players won't be buried at this training camp that opens in six days. No, for real. It's a Kyle Dubas thing, even if it isn't a Mike Sullivan thing. The new guy sees it as essential that younger legs dot the roster wherever possible. ... We'll see.
• Out of the limited youth options at hand, though, the closest to being NHL-ready is Sam Poulin, and management's going to need to see him check off a few boxes in the AHL after his tumultuous 2022-23 season. So, beyond that ... Ty Smith? Hey, don't rule him out. If the priority's about to become moving the puck up smoothly -- and why acquire Erik Karlsson if it wasn't -- he's got a shot as a lefty on the third pairing.
• Six days!
• Thanks for reading Insider!
