There’s been no shortage of speculation in the past 36 hours surrounding wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and his decision on where to play this season, and while a choice hasn’t been reached as of yet, it seems that two teams have risen to the top of his list.

Citing a source close to the situation, Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times is reporting that Houshmandzadeh is mulling over offers from both Oakland and Washington right now, and will likely make a choice between the two fairly soon.

Both teams offer plenty of playing time, but Washington should be the favorite at this point given the presence of quarterback Donovan McNabb and the style of play employed by head coach Mike Shanahan. With Houshmandzadeh in the fold, the Redskins offense would be a potent group, capable of presenting problems to almost any defense they play, whereas the Raiders aren’t likely to be as solid in that regard.

Money shouldn’t be a factor either way, as the Seahawks are on the hook for the difference between Houshmandzadeh’s $7 million salary this season and whatever he signs for with his new club. It’s expected that Houshmandzadeh will sign for the veteran minimum and collect the rest from his old employer, pushing hard to have a solid season and earn himself a nice payday in free agency next year.

As always, we’ll keep you posted with any news that hits the wire.

When the Seahawks decided to throw caution to the wind and released wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh yesterday, the general consensus was that the Vikings were the leader in the clubhouse to obtain his services for this season.

But a full day later, reality has sunk into the situation, with Minnesota making it fairly clear that they have no intention to sign Houshmandzadeh as of right now. The possibility still remains that the Vikings will bring him on board if he’s still available after week one, but for now, Houshmandzadeh will have to cool his jets without a place to call home.

Minnesota theoretically has a spot open for Houshmandzadeh right now, with the release of fellow receiver Javon Walker yesterday, but contractually speaking, it makes much more sense to bide their time and sign him in two weeks. At that point, the Vikings would only be on the hook for the guaranteed portion of his contract, which is likely to be minimal at best.

There are other potential options for Houshmandzadeh to look at, with St. Louis and Washington having a definite need at wide receiver. Neither team can offer much in the way of probability for post-season play this year, but there’s little doubt that playing time would be in abundance in both locations.

Oakland is also a possible destination, although the same thing is said for every free agent receiver that hits the market these days, so take that with a grain of salt.

In any case, Houshmandzadeh is going to have to temper his expectations significantly if he wants to find a new team soon, or take a break at home for a bit with his family and sign with a contender after season begins.

Here’s the latest on each team’s moves to reach the 53 man roster limit in the AFC West. We’ll be updating this with any additions that we find throughout the night, so be sure to check back often.

Feel free to leave any thoughts you may have in the comment section.

Denver Broncos

• WR – Britt Davis, Brandon Stokley, Alric Arnett
• TE – Marquez Branson, Riar Geer, Nathan Overbay, Kory Sperry
• OL Seth Olsen, Paul Duncan
• DL – Jeff Stehle, Jarvis Green, Chris Baker
• LB – Worrell Williams, Darrell Reid, Kevin Alexander, Jammie Kirlew, Johnny Williams,
• S – Kyle McCarthy

Kansas City Chiefs

• QB – Tyler Palko, Bill Stull
• RB – Javarris Williams, Kestahn Moore
• WR – Verran Tucker, Rich Gunnell, Lance Long
• TE – Leroy Banks, Cody Slate
• OG – Colin Brown, Darryl Harris, Ike Ndukwe, Lemuel Jeanpierre, Dan Santucci
• OT – Bobby Greenword, Tyler Eastman
• DT – Derek Lokey, DT Garrett Brown, Dion Gales
• LB – John Russell, David Herron, Pierre Walters
• CB – Mike Richardson
• S – Ricky Price, DaJuan Morgan

Oakland Raiders

• QB – Colt Brennan
• FB – Manase Tonga
• WR – Todd Watkins, Shaun Bodiford
• TE – John Owens
• C – Chris Morris
• OG – Brandon Rodd, Alex Parson
• DT – Kellen Heard, William Joseph, Chris Cooper
• DE – Jay Richardson, Grayson Gunheim, Alex Daniels
• LB – Slade Norris, David Nixon
• CB – Joe Porter, Joey Thomas,
• S – Jerome Boyd
• K – Swayze Water

San Diego Chargers

• QB – Jonathan Crompton
• RB – Shawnbrey McNeal, Curtis Brinkley
• FB – Richie Brockel, Billy Latsko
• WR – Richard Goodman, Jeremy Williams, Seyi Ajirotutu, Josh Reed
• TE – Dedrick Epps
• C – Ryan McDonald, Jeff Hansen
• OG – Cam Stephenson
• OT – Nick Richmond
• DE – Derrick Jones
• LB – Kion Wilson, Mike Nixon
• CB – Traye Simmons, Nathan Vasher
• S – Quinton Teal,
• P – Glenn Pakulak
• K – Nick Novak

After watching starting quarterback Jason Campbell hit the turf hard last weekend against the 49ers, Oakland’s coaching staff and fans alike were probably shaking their heads, wondering what more could go wrong in their attempt to escape the divisional cellar they’ve inhabited throughout most of the decade.

Their fears were assuaged though earlier today, as Campbell took to the practice field with his teammates, and showed no signs of discomfort in running with the first team offense. Campbell has been expected by many to be the stabilizing force needed by the Raiders to take the next step towards the playoffs, and while he may not lead them there this season, his presence alone has already begun to bear fruit, in the form of a increased desire and passion shown by many players in Oakland this off-season.

“Those of us who were around him last year, you kind of know what he’s capable of, so I’m not sure that anybody was really surprised. There are some things he could have done better, though, and he’d probably be the first to say that. It’s just nice to see him back there. He’s definitely strengthened the quarterback position on our team and there’s good depth now.”

– Oakland head coach Tom Cable

As such, having Campbell miss practice for any significant period of time would have been a tough blow to the Raiders hopes this season, making his quick return to the field a very positive sign. Another big bonus was the overall health of Campbell’s wrist, which he injured earlier in the game against San Francisco, and seemed to be more concerned with after the contest was over.

At this point, Campbell is projected to be the opening day starter, and while the Raiders are comfortable with Bruce Gradkowski at the helm, there’s little doubt that he’ll start the season behind Campbell on the bench.

Over the past three years, quarterback JaMarcus Russell has experienced it all with the Raiders. The highs (very few) and the lows (quite a lot).

But one thing has remained constant for Russell in that period of time, and it alone has been the single biggest factor in his disastrous career thus far: his inability to handle criticism and use it to better himself.

Russell has always been a supremely talented athlete and even though he’s played incredibly bad football as of late, it still shows up from time to time. That said, throughout his tenure with Oakland, Russell has displayed a complete unwillingness to develop himself into the premier quarterback the Raiders thought they were getting when they drafted him #1 overall in 2007.

According to multiple sources, his weight has skyrocketed close to 300 pounds several different times, and while he always seems to show up to training camp at a reasonable level, Russell clearly has no desire whatsoever to push himself throughout the off-season to be a better player.

That’s why the draft day move to acquire former Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was shrewd on the part of Oakland. Unlike the rest of the journeyman QBs accumulated throughout the years by the Raiders, Campbell is a legit starter in his own right, and his presence alone allows the Raiders to cut their losses with Russell and move on from their horrid decision  to draft him in the first place.

There is little doubt that Oakland will be better as a result next fall, with Campbell at the helm, and Russell eating Doritos someplace else. Recognizing that and removing Russell from the equation is the first step on a long road back from the brink, and if they can continue to make smart decisions with regards to their player personnel, the Raiders could be back in a big way very soon.

Over the past week, there’s been a multitude of rumors floating around claiming the Redskins would be all too eager to send defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth packing for a new home, and while team officials in Washington have remained adamant that there’s no way that would happen, it simply made too much sense not to explore it.

That said, it’s likely that the final nail in that coffin was put into place this afternoon, with Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan speaking on the subject with the folks over at NFL Network, saying pretty clearly that “it’s not going to happen.”

Given the way the first round played out, I tend to agree, with Detroit taking defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh at #2 overall, removing that need from their board. It’s possible that the Titans and the Raiders could make a push to get Haynesworth in the fold, potentially trading a third round pick and something else to get him on their side, but for now, it seems as though the chances of that happening are slim to none.

Over the past few days, speculation has run rampant around the league about the Steelers decision to quietly shop starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to other franchises.

Despite their initial intentions, word quickly leaked out of Pittsburgh’s discussions with other clubs and up to now it seemed as though the frontrunners to eventually acquire the embattled quarterback were the Bills and the Raiders, given their defined need at that position.

But be that as it may, for now it seems as though those two teams have no intention whatsoever of consummating a deal with the Steelers in the near future, and their departure from the list of potential destinations for Roethlisberger leaves Pittsburgh with very little to work with.

The news of Buffalo and Oakland pulling out of the race so to speak, comes from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who has had both ears to the ground on this and almost every other story hitting the wire for some time.

It also comes on the heels of a strange story that landed on Twitter late last night, basically saying the deal was done between the Steelers and the Raiders, with Pittsburgh sending Roethlisberger and the #18 overall pick to Oakland in exchange for the #8 overall pick and All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. At the time, we questioned the validity of that rumor, which prevented us from posting anything on it, and as is the norm, it turned out to be nothing at all.

At this point, the Steelers have to be back at the drawing board, mulling over their options with regards to Roethlisberger, and will likely take the majority of this morning and afternoon before the draft commences to work on contingency plans. If they choose to lower their price down from a first round pick to a second plus something else, there’s little doubt they’d find interested suitors lining up at their door.

But until then, it’s all quiet on the front for Pittsburgh and their star quarterback.

The Raiders continued their efforts to upgrade their pass rush this afternoon, trading one of their fifth round selections to Jacksonville to acquire defensive end Quintin Groves.

The news was first reported by Groves himself this afternoon on his Twitter account, telling his fans he was on his way to Oakland. It was confirmed a short while afterward by multiple sources.

Groves was a second round pick by the Jaguars in 2008, but failed to live up to expectations during his tenure in Jacksonville, notching just 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks in two seasons.

Today is a day of reckoning of sorts for the Pittsburgh Steelers, in that they should find out just how long their franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be suspended to start next season.

While it is theoretically possible that Roethlisberger could escape unscathed, seeing as he has yet to be charged with a crime, but the league’s personal conduct policy gives commissioner Roger Goodell more than enough latitude to punish Roethlisberger as he sees fit, and it’s expected that the levy doled out will be a four game suspension at the very least.

With that in mind, the Steelers have been discussing the possibility of trading Roethlisberger internally over the past week or so, even going so far as to accept legitimate proposals from several teams, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

At this point, Pittsburgh’s actual interest in trading away Roethlisberger is not all that serious, but that could change if the commissioner doles out a much stuffer penalty to the embattled quarterback, as they can ill afford to go through the majority of their season with either Dennis Dixon or newly acquired Byron Leftwich at the helm, and still expect to contend for a playoff spot.

If Roethlisberger receives a heavy punishment this afternoon from the league, and another club were to make the Steelers a significant offer headed into the start of the draft tomorrow night, a trade could be in the making, with Pittsburgh acquiring the ammunition it would need to get a legitimate franchise quarterback to replace Big Ben.

One player that could fit the mold in that regard is Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who could end up sliding down the board to the Steelers’ current first round selection at #18 overall, depending on how the first round plays out. And even if it seems as though he won’t make it that far, Pittsburgh could move up fairly easily to get him, if they feel Clausen is capable of being the franchise quarterback they’ll need after sending Roethlisberger packing for a new home.

Another scenario would involve a team currently picking near the end of the top ten, such as the Raiders or Bills, who would likely be willing to send their first round pick to Pittsburgh to get Roethlisberger. The Steelers could then use that pick to take Clausen, or potentially even move up higher to position themselves for Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, if the Rams pass on taking him at #1 overall.

Obviously, this is all speculation, but at this point that’s how it works, with teams holding their cards extremely close to the vest in an effort to prevent other clubs from gaining an advantage over them in the draft. It’s doubtful that the Steelers do anything drastic with Roethlisberger, but the possibility definitely remains, making the next two days extremely interesting in Pittsburgh to say the least.

This is the fourth part of our series, analyzing every division in the league headed into next Thursday’s draft. You can read our previous posts covering the AFC East, AFC North, and AFC South here.

As always, feel free to let us know what you think in the comment thread… enjoy!

Denver Broncos (8-8)

The Broncos had a miserable end to their season last year, finishing things off on a 2-8 streak that left them on the outside looking in for one of the final AFC playoff spots. Injuries, attitude problems, and poor coaching decisions led to much of the frustration, and as such, Denver has gone to great lengths this off-season to build up their depth chart at key positions and send off players who were unwilling to toe the line set by head coach Josh McDaniels. The Broncos still have more than a few holes to fill, but with four picks in the first 80 selections, they should emerge from this draft class, well equipped for the 2010 campaign.

• Players added: QB Brady Quinn, DT Jamal Williams, DE Jarvis Green, CB Nate Jones, DE Justin Bannan, RB J.J. Arrington
• Players lost: WR Brandon Marshall, RB Peyton Hillis, C Casey Wiegmann, RB LaMont Jordan, DE Kenny Peterson, LB Andra Davis, QB Chris Simms

Major Needs:

• Wide Receiver – Sending Brandon Marshall packing for Miami was the right move for the Broncos, but it leaves them extremely weak at the position, and as such they’ll have to devote at least one high value pick towards a receiver, if not two to replace Marshall’s production.
• Linebacker – Denver has one of the league’s best pass rushers in Elvis Dumervil, but the interior of their linebacker corps needs a lot of work. Expect to see this need addressed fairly early next week.
• Center – With Casey Wiegmann headed back to Kansas City, the Broncos have to find someone capable of backing up Ben Hamilton effectively. It can likely wait until the middle part of the draft, but if Denver has one of the top players at the position drop into their laps early on, they’ll likely pull the trigger to get him into the fold.

2010 Draft Picks:

• 1st (11)
• 2nd (43, 45)
• 3rd (80)
• 4th (114)
• 6th (183)
• 7th (220)

Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)

With just 10 wins in the past three seasons, the Chiefs have set a new standard for futility in their franchise, and are pushing hard this off-season to right the ship so to speak. Bringing in the top two coordinators available in Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel should free up head coach Todd Haley to focus on managing the game as a whole, and certainly lends credibility to a team in dire need of it. That said, there’s still a ton of work to be done if Kansas City has any desire to get back to the consistent level of play they had in the 1990s, and finding a multitude of quality players in this draft is the first step.

• Players added: RB Thomas Jones, C Casey Wiegmann, OG Ryan Lilja, DT Shaun Smith, WR Jerheme Urban
• Players lost: OG Andy Alleman, OG Wade Smith, OG Mike Goff

Major Needs:

• Linebacker – The Chiefs have seemingly been lacking a physical presence in the middle of their defense since the dawn of mankind, and it’s caused all sorts of wailing and gnashing of teeth among their fans, with missed tackles often outnumbering the legitimate ones. Tamba Hali was a pleasant surprise last season and should be primed for another solid year, but outside of him, Kansas City really doesn’t have a whole lot, so they’re going to need to address the inside LB and outside LB spots early on.
• Safety – There is no way the Chiefs can go into this season with Jon McGraw and Mike Brown as their starters at this position, as they both provide little in regards to defensive production, and give up too many big plays. Fortunately for KC, they’ll likely have an opportunity to take a top notch safety at some point in this draft, and should be better next season as a result.
• Defensive Tackle – Kansas City has a bevy of solid players on the outside of their defensive line, but the nose tackle spot is a big hole at this point, and they’ll need to fix it with one of their top picks to ensure they’ll be better against the run next fall.

2010 Draft Picks:

• 1st (5)
• 2nd (36, 50)
• 3rd (68)
• 4th (102)
• 5th (136, 142, 144)

Oakland Raiders (5-11)

Seven consecutive losing seasons tells the story here, and a large part of the blame for that has to fall on the shoulders of the Raiders front office… errr… Al Davis, as their draft classes over that span have been abysmal as a whole. Oakland has found several quality players as of late though, and could make the turn back towards respectability with a reasonably decent slate of choices next week, but that will require Davis to stay away from the controls and unfortunately for Raider Nation, that’s not happening anytime soon.

• Players added: QB Kyle Boller, LB Kamerion Wimbley
• Players lost: DT Gerard Warren, OT Cornell Green, DE Greg Ellis, WR Javon Walker, LB Jon Alston

Major Needs:

• Offensive Tackle – The Raiders have really struggled as of late to find anyone capable of keeping opposing pass rushers at bay on a consistent basis, and as such, they’ll need to use a high round pick this year to address this need. It could come in round one or potentially even in round two, depending on which player Davis fell in love with at the Combine.
• Quarterback – For some strange reason, Davis still thinks of JaMarcus Russell as a legitimate quarterback at the pro level, and is determined to have him as his starter when the Raiders open up their season this fall. Oakland doesn’t have all that much behind Russell to sway Davis’ opinion, but anyone would be better at this point.
• Cornerback – One side of the field is locked down under Nnamdi Asomugha, but things aren’t quite the same on the other half, with a rotation of players struggling to contain opposing receivers. Finding a quality player at this position next week would go a long way towards fixing that.

2010 Draft Picks:

• 1st (8)
• 2nd (39)
• 3rd (69)
• 4th (106)
• 5th (138, 158)
• 7th (215, 251)

San Diego Chargers (13-3)

The Chargers are clearly the team to beat in this division, and that isn’t likely to change between now and the season opener in September, even if another club puts together an excellent draft. With one of the league’s best signal callers in Philip Rivers and an outstanding group of receivers led by Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates, San Diego should have little difficulty on offense next fall against much weaker competition on the other side of the ball. That said, their defense is going to need some work, and if they’re unable to find a worthy replacement for their longtime stalwart in the middle, Jamal Williams, the Chargers could have have difficulty stopping opponents throughout the season.

• Players added: RB Marcus Mason, CB Donald Strickland, CB Nathan Vasher
• Players lost: RB LaDainian Tomlinson, RB Michael Bennett, DT Jamal Williams, QB Charlie Whitehurst, CB Antonio Cromartie, TE Brandon Manumaleuna, WR Kassim Osgood, WR Demetrius Byrd, C Eric Ghiaciuc

Major Needs:

• Running Back – Saying good bye to a future hall of fame rusher in LaDainian Tomlinson wasn’t easy, but in the end, it was the right thing to do. It could cause some issues with the Chargers offense early on, as players get adjusted to life without him, but if San Diego plays its cards right, they should be able to grab a solid player to step into the gap early on next Thursday.
• Defensive End – The Chargers really don’t have much outside of Luis Castillo at this spot, making it a high priority for the club in this draft class. Finding a five technique defender is easier said than done though, and they may have to bide their time a bit until someone worthy of a selection comes along.
• Defensive Tackle – The loss of Jamal Williams cannot be overstated, in that he gave the Chargers the dominant presence in the interior of their defensive line that they need to make their 3-4 defense a force to be reckoned with. Williams has been injured often in recent years though, so San Diego should be fairly well versed in playing effectively without him around. Look for the Chargers to go after a player with the ability to play big in the middle with one of their high round picks.

2010 Draft Picks:

• 1st (28)
• 2nd (40)
• 3rd (91)
• 4th (126)
• 5th (159, 168)
• 7th (235)

After trading away quarterback Donovan McNabb to their division rivals in Washington last week, it seemed as though Philadelphia would be content to stick with Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick next season, and possibly signing a veteran or drafting a late round prospect to fill out the depth chart.

But that doesn’t appear to be the case, as the Eagles are actively looking for a trading partner to unload Vick prior to the draft on April 22nd, and while they may find the market for Vick’s services to be less than they would prefer, a trade involving Vick is likely at this point, according to Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Domowitch believes the Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid isn’t convinced that Vick could consistently run the offense if Kolb were to get injured, and as such, signing a veteran to back up Kolb next season is the expected course of action for the Eagles once things are all said and done.

The most likely candidate to fill that role is former Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who has been adamant in his desire to start someplace next season, but will undoubtedly come around on that very soon as the market for his services dries up.

As for Vick, teams that will likely be interested include the Bills and the Raiders, although Buffalo would seem to be the better fit given the style of offense employed by new head coach Chan Gailey.

There’s been a bevy of discussion around the league concerning Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, and his reported refusal to adjust to the 3-4 defense being put into play in Washington this off-season. While nothing substantial has come as of yet, the possibility still remains that Haynesworth could find himself playing in a new locale next fall, and the most likely suspect to acquire him is not a surprise.

According to ESPN’s Bill Williamson, the best fit for such a trade would be the Oakland Raiders, who have a history of going after big name players, regardless of contractual issues, and have a definite need for a playmaking defensive tackle, which Haynesworth has shown himself to be in recent years.

All of this is speculation for the most part, but educated guesses are better than nothing at this point in the year, and while a deal could theoretically be struck later on in the summer, the best time for the Redskins to make a move with Haynesworth would be prior to or during the draft, when draft picks are at a premium.

Oakland would almost certainly have to part with their second round selection (#39 overall) to get Haynesworth into the fold, but aside from that, there’s not much standing in the way of owner Al Davis, who has a propensity for spending a fortune on players with name recognition around the league. And with Haynesworth having proven his ability in a similar style of defense during his tenure in Tennessee, moving out West to Oakland wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for him.

As always, we’ll keep you posted if anything new develops.