Who Should I Start? Giovanni Ricci or Darnell Washington

Monday, February 3, 7:02 PM

The New England Patriots signed free-agent tight end Giovanni Ricci (knee) to a Reserve/Futures deal on Monday. Ricci was on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in 2024 but never was active for a regular-season game and was cut in August due to a knee injury. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan made his NFL debut in 2021 with the Carolina Panthers, with all 36 of his career games coming with Carolina. In three NFL seasons, Ricci has caught only nine of 12 targets for 102 yards and no touchdowns with the Panthers. Ricci is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher and will now represent tight end depth for the Patriots throughout the offseason and into training camp this summer. The most likely scenario is that he'll effective serve as a fullback for new Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Sunday, August 10, 1:09 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington made the most of his only target, scoring on a 19-yard pass from quarterback Mason Rudolph in a 31-25 preseason victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The third-year pro operated as the team's starting tight end on Saturday with Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith both inactive. His touchdown capped off the Steelers' opening drive and sparked what would become a strong offensive showcase for the rest of the contest. Although it's unclear exactly how Washington will be deployed this season, the 23-year-old has reportedly had an excellent camp and has been praised by starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He'll look to build on this performance next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.