Steelers rookies Darnell Washington, Joey Porter put to test on 1st day of practice in pads
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It would be understandable if an NFL rookie had a sleepless night on the eve of his first practice in pads, the day in training camp when tempers and expectations flare a few notches.
That wasn’t the case for Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington.
“For me, I’ve got to get my sleep,” Washington said Tuesday. “When I’m sleepy, I’m out. This wasn’t one of those days (to have a restless night).”
It turned out Washington had nothing to worry about — even if he was presented with one of the most arduous matchups in the traditional ‘backs-on-backers drill that takes place on the first padded practice.
Washington squared off twice with 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt and won each matchup, preventing the outside linebacker from getting to the de facto quarterback in the one-on-one drill.
He did have more difficulty stopping Alex Highsmith, who finished sixth in the NFL with 14.5 sacks last year.
When Washington joined the Steelers — he was their third-round pick out of Georgia — he arrived with a reputation as being a fierce blocker. So much that the 6-foot-7, 264-pound Washington embraced the nickname “sixth offensive lineman” he received from college teammates.
But until Tuesday, nobody had any idea how his blocking would translate to the NFL because of rules prohibiting tackling.
“To showcase what I can do in the pass game or run game, it’s hard without pads,” he said. “You’re really just pulling on jerseys. Now, it’s legit.”
It was not a coincidence when coach Mike Tomlin pitted him against Watt at the outset of the drill. Asked if he was satisfied with what he saw from Washington, Tomlin said, “For today. He’s got a certain skill set. His reputation precedes him, and we’re going to make him confirm it every day.”
Washington knew the matchup was coming, so he wasn’t surprised when Tomlin called him out during the drill.
“I really like challenges,” he said. “I embraced it, and you have to face things head on. There is no backing down. All eyes are on you at that point, so you’ve got to go into things like that confident.”
For his part, Watt was ready to wear pads for the first time since the season ended in January.
“It’s been a long six or seven months,” he said. “You find out a lot about your team. You create an identity on days like today.”
While the linebackers, running backs and tight ends were paired up in one corner of the end zone, the wide receivers and defensive backs held a one-on-one competition of their own. The first day in pads rekindled what is evolving into a competitive rivalry between rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr and second-year wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens got the better of the rookie on a play that wowed the fans at Saint Vincent College when he reached over Porter’s back and made a one-handed catch. It was reminiscent of plays Pickens made last season in training camp that drew such a buzz.
“We’ve had some good one-on-ones,” Porter said. “He caught some crazy stuff down there. I don’t know how he caught it. It’s great, we are always going to talk here and there, but we’re teammates at the end of the day, and we’re just working.”
Earlier in camp, Pickens shoved Porter to the ground before making a catch.
“They are young guys both trying to find a place for themselves in this thing and improve daily,” Tomlin said. “It’s a natural thing that they come together and compete against each other.”
Quarterback Kenny Pickett also was looking forward to the padded practice even though defensive players are forbidden to touch him.
“It’s just a live feel in the pocket,” he said. “It’s full go up front, full go everywhere else. It feels like a game to me. Obviously, I’m not getting hit, but they are still live reps for me, which is pretty good.”