The Dolphins and Steelers sent shockwaves around the NFL on Monday when they agreed to a blockbuster trade involving Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The deal opens the door for the Dallas Cowboys to potentially ship tight end Luke Shoonmaker to Miami, whose depth at tight end is almost non-existent after parting with Smith.
However, there is another trade opportunity for the Cowboys and it might not be all that expensive thanks to the Steelers' desperation.
Acquiring Smith gives Pittsburgh two quality tight ends. Incumbent starter Pat Freiermuth had 653 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season. It's a less-than-ideal situation for third-year pro Darnell Washington, whom Cowboys fans sorely wanted in the 2023 draft.
Cowboys should call the Steelers about tight end Darnell Washington
Washington took a a 30 visit to The Star before the 2023 draft. The Cowboys have a long history of drafting players they invite for in-house evaluations. However, he wasn't in consideration when Dallas took Luke Schoonmaker in round two at No. 58 overall because of a medical issue.
That is why Washington fell all the way to the third round. He was a projected second round pick going in but dropped to the Steelers at No. 93 overall. It was a foot and knee injury that purportedly tanked Washington's draft stock, but he has yet to miss a game in his young career.
Much to the chagrin of Steelers fans, Pittsburgh has not used Washington much as a receiver. In two seasons, the former Georgia Bulldog has turned just 35 targets into 26 catches for 261 yards and one touchdown.
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At 6'7" and 264 pounds, Washington has overpowering size and pairs that with strong pass-catching skills and a sneaky ability to create yards after the catch. For whatever reason, though, he has largely been utilized as a run-blocker while Freiermuth has dominated the target share.
With Smith entering the fold, Washington's develop could get stunted. Smith is signed through 2026 and Freiermuth seemingly isn't going anywhere.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have starter Jake Ferguson entering the final year of his contract and could very easily move Schoonmaker to a TE-needy team. Washington could be in line to start as soon as next year if Ferguson leaves as a free agent. At the very least, he'd compete for the starting job with ascending second-year man Brevyn Spann-Ford.
There are a lot of "ifs" baked into a potential Washington trade. However, the TE room has a lot of uncertainty after 2025 and Washington was among Dallas' favorite prospects not too long ago.