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Darnell Washington injury update: Mike Tomlin reveals Steelers TE broke arm vs. Browns

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones12/28/25brianjones_93

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington suffered a serious injury in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that Washington suffered a broken arm.

It’s not clear when Darnell Washington suffered the injury, but the Steelers announced in the second quarter that he was questionable to return. Later in the second quarter, the Steelers announced that the former Georgia Bulldogs star has been ruled out.

Washington finished Sunday’s game with two receptions for 15 yards in the Steelers’ 13-6 loss to the Browns. According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Tomlin said he doesn’t know if Washington will miss the regular-season finale next week. If Washington doesn’t play, he will finish the regular season with 31 receptions for 364 yards and one touchdown in 16 games.

The Steelers selected Washington in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. They liked what the 24-year-old brings to the offense because of his size.

More on Darnell Washington and the Steelers

“I don’t know that he’s physically gotten better,” Tomlin told reporters in November, per Austin Bechtold of Behind the Steel Curtain. “We might just be discovering him. Some of the freakish things that you see him do in stadium I saw on Georgia tape.”

Tomlin later added, “He’s a special athlete. He has unique talents. He’s certainly a tough guy to deal with in one-on-one tackle circumstances. It makes him a force to be reckoned with.”

Not only did the Steelers lose Washington to an injury, but they are now in danger of missing the playoffs. Had they won on Sunday, the Steelers would have won the AFC North, and the Baltimore Ravens would have been eliminated from playoff contention. Now, Pittsburgh has to beat Baltimore next week to win the division and clinch a spot in postseason play.

The Steelers have had an up-and-down 2025 season. After starting the season 4-1, Pittsburgh lost three of the next four games to be 5-4 at the halfway point of the year. The Steelers then won four of the next six before losing to the Browns on Sunday.