Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirmed after his team’s 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday that tight end Darnell Washington sustained a broken arm.
Washington was injured late in the first quarter and did not return. He had two catches on two targets for 15 yards.
Tomlin did not have additional information, including a timeline for Washington’s return. But the injury comes as a big blow for a team that is already down wide receivers DK Metcalf (two-game suspension) and Calvin Austin III (hamstring).
“We get challenged with the attrition component all the time,” Tomlin told reporters. “We make no excuses regarding that. We got capable men. We adapt, adjust and we keep moving.”
Pittsburgh’s loss plus the Baltimore Ravens’ 41-24 win over Green Bay on Saturday sets up a winner-take-all game between the rivals to decide the AFC North in Pittsburgh next week. The Steelers are 9-7 and the Ravens are 8-8, but if Baltimore wins in Week 18 to force a tie at 9-8, it would win the divisional record tiebreaker (4-2 vs. 3-3).
Washington, 24, is in his third season in the league since Pittsburgh drafted him in the third round in 2023. He has career-high marks of 31 receptions for 364 yards this season, with one touchdown.
