Hoping to demonstrate again that one franchise's draft bust might become an Oakland bonanza, the Raiders on Tuesday signed free agent defensive tackle Donnell Washington, a two-year veteran released by the Packers on June 9. Washington, 25, was Green Bay's third-round choice in the 2004 draft, but he never played a single snap in a Packers uniform in two seasons with the team. Two different staffs grew frustrated at his chronic weight problems and apparent lack of motivation, and first-year coach Mike McCarthy finally decided to cut ties with the former Clemson star after a minicamp earlier this month.

Veteran defensive tackle Grady Jackson, one of the few starting-caliber players remaining in free agency just a month before training camps open, will visit later this week with Raiders officials as he seeks a new team for the 2006 season. Jackson, who played for the Packers the past three years, is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his nine-year league tenure, having started all 16 games in 2005, when he registered a career-best 72 tackles. Despite his performance, the Packers made little effort to re-sign Jackson once he entered the unrestricted free-agent market.

Jack Bechta, who represents Al Harris, said he spoke with his client on Wednesday, the same day a published report quoted Harris as saying he might not report on time. Harris missed all 14 days of the Packers? organized team activities that concluded on Wednesday because he thinks he deserves a contract extension. ?I talked to Al today and asked him, ?What?s going on??? Bechta said on Wednesday from his office in San Diego. ?He just kind of laughed and said, ?Call Andrew (Brandt) and call Ted (Thompson) and tell them, rest assured, I will not miss anything mandatory. I?ll be there. I?d love to have a new deal, but I?ll be there.??

Brett Favre was back on the field June 6, a day after being held out of a voluntary practice. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he planned to hold the quarterback out of the June 5 practice all along -- despite comments last week that led most to believe Favre would take part in all four practices this week. Favre worked out but didn't practice with the team. "I never said he would practice all four days. Him practicing all four days was never the intention, ever," McCarthy said.

Brett Favre was an unexpected no-show for the Green Bay Packers ' voluntary workout June 5. But it wasn't immediately clear whether Favre's absence was a big deal -- or simply a case of coaches not wanting to overwork their star quarterback so early in the offseason. Favre was present for last week's voluntary workouts, and Packers coach Mike McCarthy said last week that he expected Favre to attend this week's sessions as well.