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The New York Jets began their off-season conditioning program on Monday. One of the notable absentees was running back Leon Washington, who sat out most of 2009 with a broken leg.Following his absence from the workouts, a player rep for Leon Washington says that his client is skipping the Jets' workouts due to, in part, other teams being interested in acquiring the four-year pro.
Washington did not join teammates today in signing his second-round tender, most notably being Braylon Edwards, and it further shows his discontent with his contract situation.
With the addition of future Hall-of-Famer, LaDainian Tomlinson, Leon Washington immediately becomes the most expendable running back in the New York Jets backfield. Shonn Greene provides them with a power, and downhill runner, while Tomlinson gives them the speed, "shifty" back, leaving Washington the odd-man-out.
While Washington isn't the type to light it up, he has shown flashes behind Thomas Jones, and is rumored to have drawn interest from several teams, most notably the New England Patriots, who have three 2nd-round picks in April's draft.
While Washington is rehabbing from a broken leg in 2009 as I eluded to earlier, he is ahead of schedule and is expected to be cleared by doctors to resume running in 10-14 days. This would allow him to begin making cuts in a few weeks, which would easily have him ready for training camp.
Barring a major setback for Washington, expect a team to swoop in closer to the draft. When all is said and done, Thomas Jones and Leon Washington could be gone, and with Tomlinson showing signs of aging, the Jets backfield could be in shambles a year from now.
