Pittsburgh Steelers' mandatory minicamp has concluded, but it only took Aaron Rodgers one practice to comment on the biggest offensive weapon on the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster. Darnell Washington is a player who's hard to miss, and Rodgers already has glowing praise for the 6'7'', 280-ish-pound tight end.
Ahead of his first Steelers mandatory minicamp practice, Rodgers quickly handed out a lofty NFL player comparison that is catching the attention of the fanbase.
“I told Darnell [Washington] today I haven’t had a tight end like him since Marcedes [Lewis],” Rodgers said during his Steelers media session on Tuesday. “And Marcedes, all-time great. Darnell is like a young Marcedes, able to do things in the passing game and dominate the line of scrimmage.”
This is a quote that Washington will want to have framed and hung on his wall.
Lewis had a remarkably long NFL career that began at the age of 22 in 2006. Last year with the Chicago Bears, the 40-year-old was still going strong, and he's only missed one game since the 2017 season. Lewis made the Pro Bowl back in the 2010 season after recording 700 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Aaron Rodgers could get his version of Mercedes Lewis on the Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers played with Mercedes Lewis for four seasons together in Green Bay. While Lewis didn't play a big factor in the passing game (he never earned more than 23 catches or 214 yards in a season with the Packers), he played a pivotal role as an inline 'Y' tight end who did his best work as a blocker and helped keep Rodgers upright.
Rodgers knows that Washington could offer something similar for the Steelers. Over Washington's first two seasons, the big tight end essentially operated as a third offensive tackle at times, helping out on whichever side needed a hand in pass protection.
Ironically, Mercedes Lewis was also the high-end NFL player comparison I gave to Darnell Washington when he was selected by the Steelers in the 2023 NFL Draft. Both players have nearly identical sizes and remarkably similar play styles. Washington can only hope to last half as long in the NFL.
Washington is a bit stiff in the hips, and despite testing as an elite athlete at the 2023 NFL Combine, he doesn't have a high ceiling as a receiving tight end. However, his massive frame, huge catch radius, physicality, and blocking ability could help him develop into a reliable tight end and pass protector for Aaron Rodgers, similar to what Mercedes Lewis was in Green Bay.