WR Kelley Washington visiting today

[NE39]

According to the Palm Beach Post:

LINK

Another target for that role, Cincinnati's Kelley Washington, plans to visit New England today, a source said. Washington visited Miami last Saturday, the day after the free-agency period began.

 

[Pats726]

Interesting...esp confirmation of another thread about him..it seems he might be a good value pickup...POSSIBLY with a nice upside..my question is more of what has happeend to him the past two years at Cinci...very little playing time..due to 1----Injuries OR 2---lower on depth chart CJ, Housh, Henry...Maybe a combo of the 2...if it is MORE PT because of better receivers, he might be a BIG pickup...if it's injuries..I would be a bit wary

 

[unoriginal]

I wonder if the same voices who say Caldwell and Jackson are injury risks will clamor for Washington.

Let's observe.

 

[DefenseRules]

Interesting...esp confirmation of another thread about him..it seems he might be a good value pickup...POSSIBLY with a nice upside..my question is more of what has happeend to him the past two years at Cinci...very little playing time..due to 1----Injuries OR 2---lower on depth chart CJ, Housh, Henry...Maybe a combo of the 2...if it is MORE PT because of better receivers, he might be a BIG pickup...if it's injuries..I would be a bit wary

I've been doing some reading up on him. Injuries didn't seem to have much to do with why he didn't play much. He did have a hamstring in 2005 but by all accounts he was healthy last year. The Bengals had a lot of depth at WR.
Washington didn't see the field unless someone was hurt it seems.

 

[zippo59]

What does he bring that we don't already have with Gaffney and Caldwell?

Plus I heard he has some spine disease or something.

 

[bucky]

What does he bring that we don't already have with Gaffney and Caldwell?

He's bigger. And he's faster. I don't think he's better though. Even if he's not an upgrade, at least he adds depth. The Pats only have 3 WRs for all intents and purposes. I'm guessing if Washington signs here, he wouldn't be guaranteed a roster spot.

 

[F0nSY]

Do you like Washington?.....

 

[sebman2112]

He has always been injury prone....no thanks.
In college he had these injuries:
"Missed the 2002 Wyoming and Middle Tennessee games with a knee sprain … Sat out the final seven games of the 2002 season. Underwent neck surgery after suffering a concussion in the Georgia clash."

This is from 2006:
"December 16, 2006
IR move likely ends Washington's tenure with Bengals
Another disappointing season for Kelley Washington has ended prematurely, with the Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver placed on the injured reserve list with a strained hamstring that has sidelined the four-year veteran for the past two months"

He also missed a bunch of games in '05 because of injury.

 

[patfanken]

What does he bring that we don't already have with Gaffney and Caldwell?

Plus I heard he has some spine disease or something.

Supposedly the thing he brings is the raw speed the Pats are missing outside. Health wise he doesn't have a "disease", IIRC he has a "narrow" spine at the neck, which was thought might make him more prone to a spinal injury. Evidently it hasn't.

I'm not as excited about him as I was at the time of his draft class. I think he's one of those long legged guys who have great raw speed, but aren't real quick coming in and out of their breaks. This guy is Andre Davis with a bit more size and upside. He isn't "the answer" everybody here seems to want. If signed he'll be a role player. Someone to "be the speed" until Jackson gets back.

 

[Willie55]

You cant count on Washington - he's played in 8 games and 5 games the last two years. He's been restricted because of injuries.

 

[Bertil]

Didn't he have fusion surgery on his cervical vertebre (neck) at some point?

 

[sebman2112]

Didn't he have fusion surgery on his cervical vertebre (neck) at some point?

I know he had neck surgery.

 

[dtbrks]

Doesn't hurt to bring him in. Could be a good value pick if the price is right. He has talent, the WR's in front of him in Cincy would all be better than ours -talent wise.

 

[JPatriot]

I've posted this under another Kelley Washington thread, but here goes again:

I work in the sports media in Knoxville and I can tell you Washington remains one of the least popular Vols in recent history.

Washington WAS the story at UT, he was not a part of the team. Sort of like a mini-TO. Nicknaming himself, "The Future" in an ESPN Magazine article didn't help.

Oddly enough, there's some back story with him and Stallworth.

They were teammates at Tennessee. Washington let Stallworth know that he was going to turn pro early, so Stallworth, feeling like he should go, too... turned pro. Then after Stallworth had broken bread with some agents and passed the line of no return regarding eligibility, Washington announced he was coming back to UT. Stallworth tried to come back to the Vols, but he'd already let agents pay for dinners. So he HAD to go and Washington got to come back... only now there would be no other big-time wideout competition to catch balls. Washington would be THE man.

There was some bad blood between the two when this went down. Stallworth felt like Washington tricked him into leaving. Of course, Stallworth shot up the draft and made millions, so in the long run, he did alright.

The year after Washington left, Phillip Fulmer put an emphasis on returning to "team" values.

Now, none of the above fits the Patriots' history.

In addition, Washington has had serious injury problems as has been noted by others.

And he hasn't been able to crack the starting line-up for a pass-happy Bengals team.

Lastly, he spent a couple of years in minor league baseball and will be 28 when the season starts this year... so he's not a typical 25 year-old with a couple of years under his belt.

Maybe he's changed his act and the Bengals just didn't recognize his skills (after all, he is "The Future" of the wideout position), but there sure are plenty of red flags on this guy.

Buyer beware.

 

[spacecrime]

We had Washington in for a visit before hte draft. he was available but we picked Bethel.

If the price is right, what can be wrong?

 

[ClevTrev]

I've posted this under another Kelley Washington thread, but here goes again:

I work in the sports media in Knoxville and I can tell you Washington remains one of the least popular Vols in recent history.

Washington WAS the story at UT, he was not a part of the team. Sort of like a mini-TO. Nicknaming himself, "The Future" in an ESPN Magazine article didn't help.

Oddly enough, there's some back story with him and Stallworth.

They were teammates at Tennessee. Washington let Stallworth know that he was going to turn pro early, so Stallworth, feeling like he should go, too... turned pro. Then after Stallworth had broken bread with some agents and passed the line of no return regarding eligibility, Washington announced he was coming back to UT. Stallworth tried to come back to the Vols, but he'd already let agents pay for dinners. So he HAD to go and Washington got to come back... only now there would be no other big-time wideout competition to catch balls. Washington would be THE man.

There was some bad blood between the two when this went down. Stallworth felt like Washington tricked him into leaving. Of course, Stallworth shot up the draft and made millions, so in the long run, he did alright.

The year after Washington left, Phillip Fulmer put an emphasis on returning to "team" values.

Now, none of the above fits the Patriots' history.

In addition, Washington has had serious injury problems as has been noted by others.

And he hasn't been able to crack the starting line-up for a pass-happy Bengals team.

Lastly, he spent a couple of years in minor league baseball and will be 28 when the season starts this year... so he's not a typical 25 year-old with a couple of years under his belt.

Maybe he's changed his act and the Bengals just didn't recognize his skills (after all, he is "The Future" of the wideout position), but there sure are plenty of red flags on this guy.

Buyer beware.

Good background information. I'm leery, but as others have said, it doesn't hurt to kick the tires. If the Pats were to sign this guy, it would have to be on the condition he could make the team along with ample cap protection, as there are zero guarantees with this one.

 

[BradyManny]

Washington seems like a good fit for the Pats. It's a low risk signing. We don't need him to pan out for us to be good, but anything we get from him is bonus and could upgrade our WR squad.

With the talent amongst Welker-Caldwell-Gaffney-Jackson, I don't seen an overwhelming need for a "sure bet". Seems like taking a chance on Washington would make sense.

 

[TheSeymonsta]

With the talent amongst -Jackson,

Cant agree with this...We have no idea if he is talented or not.

Gotta get on the field to show talent.

 

[captain stone]

If the category is "Disappointing WRs from the 2003 Draft", then my first choice would be Justin Gage. He carries less baggage and is healthier, and should be just as cost-effective.

Nothing wrong with bringing Washington to the Razor for a face-to-face.

 

[BradyManny]

Cant agree with this...We have no idea if he is talented or not.

Gotta get on the field to show talent.

Based on his college career, we know he has a lot of talent. It's just a matter of turning that into success in the NFL, which isn't a simple or quick matter, particularly for wideouts.