One of Pittsburgh’s key offensive contributors is on the mend.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that tight end Darnell Washington underwent surgery to repair his broken arm on Tuesday morning.
While Washington is ostensibly out for the season whether the Steelers make the playoffs or not, Tomlin noted his focus is solely on this week.
Washington was fourth on the team with 364 receiving yards on 31 receptions with one touchdown.
Tomlin noted that the Steelers do have options to replace Washington’s production.
“You know, we use a lot of tight ends,” Tomlin said. “We also use guys at the tight end position that don’t play tight end — Spencer Anderson. So we have a lot of options at our disposal relative to that from a strategy perspective and certainly given six or seven days to prepare, I don’t think it’ll be a strategic issue in terms of replacing his efforts.”
It will, however, be impossible to replicate Washington’s body type at six-foot-seven and 264 pounds with the way he can move.
Pat Freeirmuth, Jonnu Smith, and Connor Heyward are the team’s listed other options at tight end on the 53-man roster.
