Houston Texans: Grading Nate Washington Signing

The Houston Texans are in the midst of a wide receiver overhaul after letting Andre Johnson go, as he was upset with the notion of playing second-fiddle to budding superstar DeAndre Hopkins. Following the addition of former Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Cecil Shorts, the Texans added another AFC South veteran in Nate Washington, whoÂ has spent the past six seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

Per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Washington’s deal is unsurprisingly of the cheap, one-year variety, as he’ll make just $1 million next year with $30,000 in guaranteed money. It’s a dirt cheap contract for a player who was never going to garner anything meaningful, as he’ll be 32 when the season starts and is ideally a No. 4 receiver who will operate as a deep threat with less than 50 receptions to his name.

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Currently, the Texans depth chart at wide receiver has a headlining trio of Hopkins, Shorts, and Washington, so smart money is on the Texans drafting a wideout in the middle rounds. Perhaps they’ll try to snag a wideout who can be the No. 2 guy, but it’s more likely that they’ll try to head into the 2015 season with a pecking order of Hopkins, Shorts, a rookie, and then Washington.

Either way, Washington isn’t asked to be anything more than the No. 4 guy given his contract, and there’s little reason to doubt his ability to be a nice situational deep threat. He’s pretty consistent when it comes to putting some sort of production on the table, even if he did benefit from garbage time plays. Washington clearly hooked up well with the strong-armed Zach Mettenberger last year, so he could be a nice vertical outlet for Ryan Mallett‘s renowned arm.

Last season, he caught 40 passes for 647 yards, averaging a whopping 16.2 yards per reception, and he’s averaged around 16 yards per catch (plus or minus 0.2) in each of his past three seasons. He put up a career-high 9.0 yards per target last season by hauling in 55.6% of everything thrown at him, so he was a sneaky-efficient deep threat in the Titans offense. Of course, it’s hard to take those stats at face value, because, again, garbage time plays benefit veteran deep threats like Washington.

That said, these numbers show that he can provide some value to the Texans offense as a guy who can come in on certain downs and make defenses think twice about how they attack the other receivers on the field. Back in 2013, Washington had over 900 receiving yards and 105 targets in a quietly strong season, and those stats as the team’s then-No. 2 receiver can’t be discounted.

It’s not like he had the most consistent QB play during his time in Tennessee, so he’s used to dealing with uncertain quarterback situations. Mallett and Brian Hoyer have shown that they are willing to test defenses deep, so it was important for the Texans to add someone who can regularly average 16 yards per reception.

With just $30,000 in guaranteed money, there’s essentially no risk in this one-year deal, since the Houston Texans won’t be upset with losing chump change on a veteran flier. I don’t think Washington has missed a game in his career since becoming an everyday player in his second season in the league (back when he played with the Pittsburgh Steelers), so there’s almost no risk in this deal. Washington has caught at least 40 passes for 550 yards in each of the past seven seasons, so while he offers just about no upside, he has a relatively high floor.

It’s a ho-hum signing, but the Texans were only looking for a safe, veteran flier who can bring something different to the table for this team. His ability to stretch the field and produce will help the entire passing attack regardless of what the Texans decide to do. They need to draft a No. 3- or No. 2- wideout this year, but at least Nate Washington wouldn’t embarrass himself as the No. 3 guy (even if he ideally isn’t that type of a receiver at this stage). Based on the contract the Texans gave to him, they only view him as depth guy who can provide consistent field-stretching ability when he does see the field.

Given the amount of money paid as well as the context of the deal, it’s hard not to be a fan of this quiet signing. The Texans are paying like Washington like they expect nothing out of him, but history has shown that he’ll put something on the table for whatever team he plays for, even if it isn’t a huge contribution.

Final Grade: B+

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