Washington

Another day, another wide receiver for the Patriots, who signed free-agent Kelley Washington yesterday.

Washington’s signing comes just a day after New England reportedly inked Donte Stallworth, and a week after the team acquired Wes Welker via trade.

One source said yesterday that Washington’s deal is similar to the one Stallworth received, in that he is getting relatively little money up front and he’ll get a big payday from the Pats next year if he proves himself in the coming season. For now, the 27-year-old gets a $300,000 signing bonus plus a base salary; assuming he stays healthy (not a certainty given his history), plays well and New England wants to keep him, he will receive a reported $4-million roster bonus next March.

At 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, Washington is the big receiver New England didn’t have previously; he also fulfills the team’s apparently new desire to have their wideouts come in matched sets: Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson, all brought to the team last season, all played at the University of Florida, while Washington and Stallworth were teammates at Tennessee.

But there are questions about Washington. After playing four years of minor-league baseball with the Marlins organization — he was drafted out of Virginia’s Sherando High in the 10th round in 1997 — Washington played less than two full seasons with the Volunteers before turning pro. Though Cincinnati made him a third-round pick in 2003, injuries prevented him from developing as a top receiver with the Bengals.

His second season at Tennessee was derailed by hamstring, neck and knee injuries, and he had surgery in November 2002 to fuse two of his neck vertabrae after a concussion he suffered that season. But Washington made it through his first two pro seasons fairly healthy, playing in all 32 games. He did not, however, make much of an impact: he had 53 receptions for 677 yards combined in 2003 and ’04, though he did total seven touchdowns.

In 2005, more injuries kept Washington off the field for nine games. Last year, he played in the first five games of the season for the Bengals, with 9 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown before suffering another hamstring strain. He was inactive for the next eight games before being placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Aside from his injury problems, Washington has been inconsistent and his routes can lack crispness — not a plus in the Pats’ offensive system.

With the additions of Washington, Stallworth and Welker to a receiving corps that already included Caldwell, Gaffney, Jackson, Kelvin Kight, and Bam Childress, things will be interesting in training camp. Caldwell and Gaffney are both signed through the coming season, but Gaffney is on the books for just $595,000; Caldwell’s salary is $1.55 million.

The signing of Washington leads one to wonder if Jackson, who reportedly suffered a torn ACL in the AFC Championship Game, will be ready for the start of the season, and if Troy Brown has indeed decided to retire

smanza@projo.com