The New England Patriots will be hosting free agent wide receiver Nate Washington after his stint with the Houston Texans. The Patriots are in desperate need for a quality wide receiver as they showcased their lack of depth at the position in 2015.
With tight end Rob Gronkowski out with an injury and both starting wide receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman also dealing with injury, the Patriots were forced to rely on Brandon LaFell and Aaron Dobson. It appears that they do not want to go through that again, and with Tom Brady only getting older New England is looking to add more quality targets to his arsenal.
The Patriots will host Washington after losing out on Rishard Matthews and Travis Benjamin and could look to sign the veteran. During the 2015 regular season Washington played for the Houston Texans and had a pretty solid season despite suffering several injuries.
The 32-year-old recorded 14 starts, 47 receptions and 658 receiving yards, along with four touchdowns. Washington has had a very productive career, recording 458 receptions and 6,954 receiving yards, averaging 15.2 yards per catch, 44 touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Washington played for former New England offensive coordinator and current head coach of the Texans Bill O'Brien so he should have no problem learning the Patriots' offense due to their similarities. Washington has been seen as a great locker room guy and a leader amongst the wide receivers, so the Patriots could use some of that experience to help out their younger, more inexperienced wide receivers.
The Patriots signed free agent wide receiver Chris Hogan last week to help bolster this unit. Hogan signed a 3-year, $12 million deal that saw him leave the Buffalo Bills and enter an organization he has always wanted to be a part of. Hogan is only 27 so he could develop dramatically under Bill Belichick's guidance.
The wide receiver can line up either on the outside or inside and make plays to us whenever he is called upon. The Patriots currently have a wide receiving corps made up of Edelman, Amendola, Chris Hogan, Keshawn Martin, Chris Harper, DeAndre Carter, Brandon Gibson and Aaron Dobson.
Washington would just add some veteran experience to some of these younger players making it easier for them to make an impact during an actual NFL game. New England appears to be in great shape as they look to take care of their need at wide receiver before the 2016 NFL Draft.
