Healthy Kellen Winslow draws interest of Raiders

The Oakland Raiders looked into signing Kellen Winslow late last September after the tight end was released by the New England Patriots. Once Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie opted to pass, Winslow didn't play another down the rest of the season.

Now that Winslow's surgically repaired knee is feeling better, the Raiders again are expressing interest, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Monday.

While McKenzie had no need for Winslow last season with Brandon Myers exceeding expectations, he now has a vacancy at the position after Myers signed with the New York Giants.

We wouldn't be surprised if Winslow also is on the Cleveland Browns' radar after they lost out on Jared Cook and allowed Ben Watson to depart. New Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski also has a close relationship with Winslow after coaching him at the University of Miami as well as in Cleveland.

Even with Winslow's newfound optimism over his knee, it's no guarantee NFL doctors will give him a passing grade on a physical.

The 29-year-old acknowledged last summer that 99 percent of NFL players would retire rather than play through the pain in his six-time surgically repaired knee. As recently as January, The Plain Dealer noted that Winslow still was "suffering from tremendous pain" in the knee.

Has resting his leg for the majority of the 2012 season made that much of a difference in his health?


(nfl.com)