NFL Free Agency: Untold Story of Rookie L'Damian Washington's Adventure

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver L'Damian Washington might be someone that you'd call resilient based on what you see on the surface. He just went through his first season in the NFL, bouncing around from city to city before landing in Pittsburgh, a franchise with a rich tradition of talented receivers.

But for Washington, this oddly enough doesn't feel like uncharted territory. Everything he's done in his whole life has been preparing him for how to handle what he had to go through in 2014.

In fact, it was a cakewalk in retrospect.

In many ways, Washington's first year in the NFL was much like his first season in college. Admittedly, he was uncertain on every front and was feeling himself out in his role with Mizzou. But just as he succeeded in that endeavor, and in challenges he's dealt with on his road to the top of American football, he saw no other option.

And why not? He's a product of the Gary Pinkel system that has a proven record of crafting NFL-caliber talent.

But in this case, there's much more below the surface. We sat down with Washington to talk about this great adventure and where it's likely to take him next.

High School

Washington comes from Green Oaks High School, nestled in the Cooper Road area of northwest Shreveport, Louisiana. He takes a lot of pride in where he grew up and is particularly proud of his family.

After losing his father at an early age and then losing his mother by age 15, Washington could have folded emotionally in his sophomore year of high school. But for him at the time, the sense of urgency to do something positive overtook fear of everything else.

"It's like I took all my frustration and took it out in football. It was like, I need to do something to let my brothers know that everything's going to be all right," Washington says in this candid video done by the Mizzou Network.

His story starts with him becoming a man beyond what many of us can even comprehend at an early age. If no one can tell a story until they've walked in someone's shoes, then we could all learn something from Washington.

College

Despite the odds against him of succeeding, let alone becoming a star Division I athlete, Washington pressed on with an offer from the University of Missouri in Columbia as a 2-star recruit on Rivals.com.

"I went to Columbia as an 18-year-old kid," Washington said, recollecting his departure from Shreveport for the first time on a long-term basis. "But now it's like everyone in Columbia is family to me."

Washington adjusted to his first couple of seasons, uncertain if he'd find the kind of success he'd had at Green Oaks. But by his junior year he found his role as a starter, and the highlights he made while at the school speak for themselves. His role on a talented team helped secure a division title in arguably the toughest college football conference in America in the SEC.

Washington played his final college game in grand style, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where Missouri beat Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. It would foreshadow the next turn in Washington's road to the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys

Gus Ruelas/Associated Press

It wasn't the way that perhaps Washington had envisioned it, but when you're a part of the team, it hardly matters anymore.

After going undrafted at the 2014 NFL draft, Washington signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys—a dream come true for any wide receiver. But for a rookie, the odds were never in his favor. There was simply too much veteran talent ahead of him at the position and too many injuries at defensive line when camp got underway to justify keeping additional wideouts on the practice roster.

On August 1, months after joining the team, Dallas waived him. It was a tough pill to swallow, but he had no time to wade around in disappointment...it was time to look elsewhere.

San Francisco 49ers

Bob Levey/Getty Images

On August 3, just two days after the Cowboys waived him, the San Francisco 49ers picked up Washington. Feeling like this was going to be his new home, he worked to impress in preseason games.

While with San Francisco, he picked up skills from another player he'd seen before in Anquan Boldin. Being a part of two teams so far had come with major benefits. Learning from Dez Bryant while he was the Cowboys had turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

However, Washington wasn't able to manufacture much production during the game. He was a member of the team for just less than a month; the 49ers cut him August 30, right before the start of the season. It was back to the drawing board, but giving up was not in his blood.

New York Giants

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

At this point, Washington had learned that the NFL isn't all smiles and hugs. Admittedly, it caught him by surprise.

"Definitely surprised at how much of a business it is and how fluid the rosters are," Washington said. "And it's not about talent; most of the time it's just about numbers."

On September 16, just over a week into the 2014 season, the numbers led Washington to the glitz and glamour of New York City. Although Washington was a member of the practice squad for just days, this stop was particularly important in that he got a chance to watch and learn from Victor Cruz.

"I tried to take that negative and make it a positive," Washington said of what must have begun to feel like an NFL tour at this point. "I got a chance to see so many talented receivers perform at their craft."

His time in New York lasted just eight days, as the Giants cut him on September 24. This time, there was no one immediately calling. Now would come a test of his patience.

Cleveland Browns

David Richard/Associated Press

Cleveland doesn't have incredible sports expectations, but the city loves its athletes. It's the perfect environment for a young, up-and-coming star.

On October 22, almost a month after being cut by the Giants, Washington finally signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns. It brought together peace of mind and an idea that no matter how many times he had been shown the door, he always felt like he was capable of reopening it.

"If you think about it, I only missed a few weeks out of the season. Other than that I was on an NFL roster every week," an upbeat Washington said of the time.

Indeed, his consistency had kept him going as a staple on practice squads around the league. Whereas many could have and have fallen off before, Washington pressed on. He stayed with the Browns organization for more than a month but was dealt off the roster on November 25. No problem—he kept on rolling.

Miami Dolphins

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

This was more like it for a guy from Louisiana—being down in the warm temperatures of the South. Not only that, but he had the chance to gain perspective from another top skill guy in Mike Wallace, which was valuable.

Former LSU standout Jarvis Landry was also a member of that team.

Washington's time with the Dolphins served as his final step before his current team and helped bring together the combined knowledge of quite the cast of star receivers. The 2014 regular season quietly ended, and so too did Washington's time in Miami, as he stayed around for about one month.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Don Wright/Associated Press

On January 8, Washington took the most recent step of his journey and signed a reserve contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A guy who had formerly wore black and yellow in college was in familiar colors again.

At this point, he isn't overly concerned about his rookie year in the NFL; he has embraced the challenges it brought to him and feels reassured of what he already knows. 

"The biggest transition is into your second year, no matter what it is. Whether it's your job, what your career path is in life, the biggest jump is always in your second year. I'm looking forward to my second year, I just signed to a great franchise," he said with excitement.

Conclusion

GaryPinkel.com

Washington faced inconceivable challenges as a teenager and proved that he could mature beyond his years. Despite having challenges fitting in and trusting people in college, he became a standout at his position, no matter how many stars he had coming in.

So why in the world would anyone doubt him in his quest to become a regular NFL roster guy? People have a hard time believing what they haven't seen.

Washington has just launched a new website with news and updates from his person at LDamian.com as well. The new personal site helps him to get closer to fans, media and people in the NFL.

"I'm going to continue to build and climb. The future of the Washington family is going to be good, and it's going to be centered around college football," he said.

Washington's adventure has taken him all around the college football world and from coast to coast in the NFL. But in the end, it came back to Cooper Road and the family that's so important to him.

All quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Dan Irwin on Twitter @irwinsports or on Facebook.