Steelers' Troubling Situation With Darnell Washington Has A Clear Answer Among Other Injury Notes

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have gotten a win in Week 1, but they didn't escape the game with a clean bill of health. Left tackle Troy Fautanu only missed a couple of plays with an ankle injury, but that has clearly been bothering him. Meanwhile, receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has been dealing with a foot injury that limited him in Wednesday's practice. This is not what anyone wants to see, but considering how injury-prone the team was in recent years, this definitely could have been a whole lot worse for Pittsburgh. 

Those two weren't the only ones on the injury report, but they were the only ones who were injured. After Thursday's practice, insider Nick Farabaugh explained what is going on with tight end Darnell Washington while hosting Steelers Rewind.

"Darnell Washington has a personal issue that was clarified yesterday..." Farabaugh said. "He was not here today either; we'll see if he's here tomorrow. Usually, with personal situations, the guys are able to play, so we'll see if he's able to play."

While it's unclear exactly what the personal issue is for Washington, he should be able to come back in time to fly to Foxborough and be ready to play against the New England Patriots. The fact that he isn't injured is a good sign, so the big tight end can go back to giving opposing defensive play-callers nightmares like he typically does. Pittsburgh definitely needs that from him.

The Patriots have a very strong defense, and Pittsburgh's offensive line did not play well against a depleted Atlanta Falcons' front seven. The Steelers will need to rely on Washington to slow down this top-flight unit and keep it from getting into the backfield on a regular basis. He will also be expected to help create some rush lanes like he did at the very end of Week 1 to seal the victory. 

Even if Washington barely touches the ball, he could end up being the difference between winning and losing. We all hope that he is doing well with this personal issue and it won't affect him too much. For most players, family still comes first, and Pittsburgh understands whatever is going on with him. Hopefully, this is just a minor issue where he can come back quickly, as Farabaugh noted.

Other Steelers Injury News From Thursday's Practice

Washington may end up playing even more in Week 2 with the Steelers possibly moving to more multi-tight end sets. Farabaugh also said that Pittman was not on the field during the portion of practice open to the media. Even though he did not receive a lot of targets in Week 1, he is still expected to be a key part of the offense, and losing him could cause the coaches to change some things up.

It's very clear that the Steelers are not ready to expose Germie Bernard yet, even though he would be the next man up. If that is still the case, Pittsburgh could opt to utilize Washington more as opposed to giving the rookie a significant increase in reps if Pittman is out. At the very least, it does not look like he will be at full strength for Sunday's game, even if he ends up being active.

On the bright side, Farabaugh noted that Fautanu returned to practice on Thursday after missing time on Wednesday. While that does not outright clear him to play against the Patriots, it's still a good sign that this ankle injury is not significant. How he feels and moves in warmups on Sunday will likely determine whether he plays or not. If he can't go, first-round rookie Max Iheanachor will get to show off his skill set in his first career start.

What do you think about Washington likely being able to play on Sunday, as well as the other injury notes? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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