Jets Sign RB Chauncey Washington

According to Adam Caplan, the Jets have signed Chauncey Washington to replace Ryan McKee who was released yesterday.

Washington was a 7th round draft choice of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008, he was later signed by the Cowboys to the practise squad, he made several trips between the active roster and the practise squad before being signed by the Jets yesterday evening.

His NFL scout combine page lists his positives and weaknesses

Positives: Thick, powerful frame for the position. ... Powerful runner who can grind out the tough interior yards. ... Takes a hit and can continue forward due to his combination of power, balance and good forward lean. ... Secure ball handler. ... Not often used as a receiver out of the backfield, but shows some quickness in his route-running and extends well to make the reception. ... Good size and strength as a blocker.

Negatives: Lacks the speed to be an effective outside runner. ... Isn't going to make many defenders miss in the open field due to marginal agility and acceleration. ... Academic struggles lead to some concerns about his ability to handle a complicated playbook. ... Some lower leg injuries throughout his career, and had a week-long paralysis in his legs when he was nine that was never diagnosed.

Make what you will of the signing, but seeing us sign a player with secure ball handler listed as a positive 24 hours after Greene again fumbled the ball will surely cause a little conspiracy. He also wore number 23 in college.....of course I jest.

Washington attended USC with Reggie Bush and LenDale White, however due to academic problems he was ineligible to play in 2004 and 2005. As well having academic problems he was also nagged by some injuries to his ankle and hamstring. However despite this he managed to rack up over 900 yards and 10 TD's in 2007 with the Trojans.

One interesting aspect of Washington's story is a bizarre occurrence during his childhood. When he was just nine years old he woke up one day with no feeling in his legs. He was paralysed for one week, he explains:

"They still haven't figured out what it was," the running back recalls. "After seven days, I got the feeling back in my legs. It was painful, but I started gaining strength. Next thing I know, I started to walk again. Once I got out of the hospital, I started running faster. For some reason, I felt fast. And no, I wouldn't recommend being paralyzed to everyone...I don't think I'll meet any other challenges like that in my life. It makes you stronger as a person."

We may not get to know Washington at all, but his story is interesting none the less