A day after losing Robert Royal to the Buffalo Bills, the Redskins moved quickly to find his replacement, signing former New England Patriots tight end Christian Fauria.
Fauria is an experienced veteran who will bolster the tight end position as a sound blocker and pass receiver. With Royal gone and Brian Kozlowski also an unrestricted free agent, it's possible that Fauria could get a look at a starting job this offseason.
The 6-4, 250-pounder has played in 167 games with 119 starts during his 11-year NFL career. During that time, he has recorded 245 receptions for 2,473 yards and 20 touchdowns. He spent the past four seasons with the New England Patriots, where he was a member of the Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX championship teams.
Prior to joining the Patriots, Fauria spent seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He played in all 16 games (starting 10) in 2005, finishing the year with eight catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Fauria began his NFL career as a second round (39th overall) selection by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1995 NFL Draft. As a rookie he played in 14 games, with 12 starts, and caught 17 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown.
Fauria played his collegiate ball at the University of Colorado, where he finished his career with 98 catches for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 98 catches ranked him fourth all-time in school history while the 1,058 yards ranked him ninth all-time.
He was named first-team all Big 8 and third-team All-American as a senior. Fauria is a native of Northridge, California where he attended Crespi High School.
