If the offseason has taught us anything about how the Philadelphia Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman view the current state of the tight end position, it’s that … they don’t think very much of it, to be honest.
The Eagles were “take it or leave it” with longtime star tight end Dallas Goedert after winning the Super Bowl in February. Goedert didn’t get the green light to come back until he took a pay cut from $14 million to $10 million for 2025, and that was after there were no takers in a trade.
In terms of the future, the Eagles have taken exactly one tight end in the last 7 years — sixth round pick and current backup Grant Calcaterra in 2022.
In free agency, the Eagles doled out a 1-year, $1.2 million contract to Harrison Bryant, which isn’t even enough to feel confident he’ll make the 53-man roster.
While all of that is probably more reflective of the current hierarchy in the Eagles offense, it wouldn’t hurt to make a move for another tight end to play behind the injury prone Goedert, who missed a career high 7 games in 2024 and has missed 15 games over the last 3 seasons.
It just so happens the Eagles are flush with draft picks — they have a projected 13 picks in 2026 alone — and there’s a perfect fit available right now in Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington.
Washington could be available because the Steelers have essentially market replaced Washington in the last week by trading with the Miami Dolphins for Jonnu Smith — meaning Smith and starter Pat Freiermuth will be getting all the reps in 2025 and Washington is the odd man out.
Washington, 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds, is a physical behemoth and still an intriguing prospect at just 23 years old. He would be worth sending the Steelers a draft pick in exchange for his services, but nothing more than a seventh rounder.
Washington Sparked Massive Brawl With Eagles
Eagles fans might remember Washington from when he sparked a massive brawl between the Steelers and Eagles during a Week 15 game last season that started when he squared off with former Eagles cornerback and current Steelers teammate Darius Slay.
“With just under five minutes left in the opening quarter, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay and Steelers tight end Darnell Washington got into a scuffle after the play,” Sports Illustrated’s Noah Strackbein wrote on December 16. “Washington was seen blocking Slay into the stands after the whistle was blown, which the cornerback did not respond well to … Immediately, Slay started throwing punches, which were caught on camera by a fan near the interaction.”
Washington Has Instant Support System in Philly
The Eagles have become famous for drafting defensive players from the University of Georgia in recent years — a total of 6 Bulldogs in the last 4 years and all on the defensive side of the ball.
Washington could come to Philadelphia and represent Georgia on the other side of the ball — and have an instant support system. He was a teammate of many of the current Philly Dawgs and won back to back College Football Playoff national championships in 2021 and 2022.
The Steelers selected Washington in the third round (No. 93 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft and he has 26 receptions for 261 yards and 1 touchdown over his first 2 seasons while playing in all 34 regular season games along with making 16 starts.
On paper, Washington not only has the size to be a dominant NFL tight end, he has elite speed — he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.
