The Pittsburgh Steelers saw a major shake-up in their tight ends room recently when the team acquired Jonnu Smith in a blockbuster deal with the Miami Dolphins.
Smith now joins a tight ends room that also includes Pat Freiermuth and 2023 third-round pick Darnell Washington, who was expected to take on a bigger role in 2025 before the acquisition of Smith.
However, that doesn't appear to be in the cards at this point, or even in the near future, now that Smith is on the roster and signed to an extension that keeps him around through 2026.
That might not sit well with Washington, which could lead to a trade demand. If the Steelers are open to trading Washington, FanSided's Cody Williams predicts he'll ultimately land with the Dallas Cowboys.
"Both Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker have been fine in the Dallas Cowboys receiving game, but they've left a ton to be desired as a blocker," Williams explains. "With a young offensive line in Brian Schottenheimer's offense, taking a flier with a team that Dallas has already traded with this offseason on Washington to come in and help add extra protection on the edge would make a great deal of sense, especially if the aim is to also improve the ground game."
Washington hasn't done a ton over his two-year career, but he did start to emerge as a pass-catcher in 2024 when he posted career-highs in receptions (19), receiving yards (200) and touchdowns (one).
The thing that really jumps off the page is Washington's size. The Georgia product is a massive human being at 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds.
And he uses that frame well, as evidenced by his 72.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. In fact, PFF's Thomas Valentine labeled Washington as "one of the best blocking tight ends in the game."
Washington is also a freak athlete, so there's upside for him as a pass-catcher.
Washington would offer the Cowboys a better blocker than both Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker, and with Ferguson entering the final year of his contract, Washington could step into a bigger role in 2026.
As far as trade compensation is concerned, it shouldn't take more than a mid-Day 3 pick to acquire Washington if the Steelers are willing to trade him.