The Oakland Raiders decided to work out wide receiver and former Carson Palmer favorite TJ Houshmandzadeh and will be giving him a physical on Tuesday.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise considering how crowded the Oakland Raiders receiving corps currently is. The Raiders currently have Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy, Chaz Schilens and Derek Hagan, all of whom have legitimate arguments for receiving playing time with the Raiders. That doesn't include receiving threats at tight end with Kevin Boss and rookie Davis Ausberry as well as a huge receiving threat at the fullback position in Marcel Reece.
It is also somewhat surprising considering the fact that all indications point to Houshmandzadeh being all but done in the NFL. He was a non factor with the Baltimore Ravens last season and up to this point, has not been able to sign with any other NFL team.
However, signing him could make some sense for the Raiders. First of all, he played with Carson Palmer for a number of years and was clearly at his best with Palmer. In addition, Raiders head coach Hue Jackson was TJ's position coach in Cincinnati. Finally, so long as Houshmandzadeh comes at a reasonable price, say the league minimum, he is a veteran presence who can help the young receivers learn the trade while providing Palmer with a big target that he is used to relying on.
We will see soon enough if the Raiders decide to bring TJ onto the roster, but until then, Raiders fans should prepare to learn how to pronounce his name just in case.