Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers shook up the NFL landscape by swapping safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Now, Darnell Washington, a talented young Steelers TE, could potentially be available on the trade market.

Should the Broncos target Washington? Would the Steelers be interested? What might a hypothetical swap look like? Let’s take a look.

What the Trade Might Look Like

At first glance, Broncos Country might overrate the cost it would take to acquire Darnell Washington, considering he’s been coveted by the fanbase since before he was even drafted, and seems to address an obvious roster hole.

However, upon looking at the history of tight end trades, it’s hard to find examples of any tight end requiring anything more than a fifth-round pick. Even in those richer instances, those deals feature borderline stars like Darren Waller, who went from the Raiders to the Giants, T.J. Hockenson, moving from the Lions to the Vikings, and Rob Gronkowski being shipped to the Buccaneers.

For a rotational tight end, like Washington, the price is often either a late-round pick or a late-round pick-swap.

Since 2020, there have been five trades centered around a tight end who was still on their rookie deal and was drafted in the middle rounds. In three of those trades, the compensation was a seventh-round pick. One exception saw Adam Shaheen dealt to the Miami Dolphins for a sixth-round pick, while the other saw Chris Herndon packaged with a sixth-round pick to net a fourth-round pick in return.

Of all these packages, the case most similar to Washington would be the Shaheen trade, with Shaheen being a Day 2 selection who was primarily used as a blocking specialist but boasted the athletic upside of a potential mismatch weapon.

The Denver Broncos don’t have their 2026 sixth-round pick, but with Steelers GM Omar Khan receiving a three-year extension this week, he should have enough job security to accept a 2027 sixth-round pick instead.

One complicating factor is that Pittsburgh’s poor WR group might necessitate a TE-heavy offense. If the Steelers are tied to that vision, they could ask for Adam Trautman in return. Trautman isn’t a flashy option, but he would slot in just fine as the No. 3 option and is a smart veteran Aaron Rodgers could trust to be in the right place at the right time.

Likely Trade Terms: Denver Broncos receive TE Darnell Washington; Pittsburgh Steelers receive Denver’s 2027 sixth-round pick.

Alternative Trade Terms: Denver Broncos receive TE Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh’s 2026 sixth-round pick; Pittsburgh Steelers receive TE Adam Trautman, Denver’s 2026 fifth-round pick

Why the Trade Makes Sense

Either of these hypothetical swaps would make a lot of sense for the Denver Broncos.

Right now, Denver’s tight end room is painfully shallow. Evan Engram is the only player in the room who could earn playing time on a majority of NFL rosters, and even he is a limited solution, considering his lack of blocking ability and his need to operate in space.

Ross Kaminsky