On December 2, I had the privilege of sitting down with Pittsburgh Steelers safety Miles Killebrew for an exclusive interview on Still Curtain. Killebrew explained his partnership with My Cause My Cleats, promoting Cafe Momentum -- an award-winning restaurant and culinary training facility aimed to transform young lives by equipping Pittsburgh’s justice-involved youth with life skills, education, and employment opportunities to help them achieve their full potential.
Later in the interview, we got on the topic of Steelers tight end, Darnell Washington. At 6'7'' and rumored to be in the 300-pound range, Washington is having a breakout campaign in his second season.
I asked Killebrew what it was like to go up against a tight end like Washington who can bully defenders on the ground and through the air. The Steelers safety joked that you either need 'a prayer or a ladder' to cover Washington.
"When they flex [Darnell Washington] out on a yard-to-go in the red zone, and they're like 'hey', then they throw it up to him on a fade ball, it's like dude, you better have a prayer or a ladder to defend him," Killebrew explained. "I mean, there's very few answers for that."
Killebrew went on to explain the comical sight of watching opposing defensive backs make a 'business decision' trying to tackle Washington in the open field.
"It's fun to watch him catch the ball out in the flats and turn up and the DB or whoever's out there has to make a business decision on how to tackle him. That always happens at least once or twice in the game and it's usually a really exciting point, at least for me to watch. I want to see how this guys is going to tackle [Washington]. It's usually a pretty funny sight."
Steelers have a rare weapon at their disposal
Compared to his rookie season in 2023, Washington, a third-round pick by the Steelers, is heavily involved on offense. Early in his career, the Georgia product was thought to be a one-dimensional tight end who would only accel as an in-line blocker in the 'Y' tight end position.
Washington has already proved doubters wrong.
From catching fade passes to running after the catch or making plays down the seam, Washington is developing into a do-it-all weapon for the Steelers. With some fine-tuning and added game experience, Pittsburgh's coaching staff could turn the talented tight end into a matchup nightmare.
In addition to singing the praises of Washington, Killebrew gave a shoutout to some of his buddies on special teams -- praising guys like Connor Heyward, Ben Skowronek, and Tyler Matakevich with their ability to track down punts and kicks while tackling in open space.
You can check out the full 15-minute interview here or on our Still Curtain YouTube channel.