JaMarcus Russell had a workout with the Redskins on Tuesday afternoon.

JaMarcus Russell was among a handful of players working out with the team today.

The former No. 1 overall pick, who was released earlier this year by the Raiders, was one of roughly a dozen players that strolled out of the team's facility while defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was giving his pre-bye-week press conference. Russell certainly was one of the biggest players, other than an apparent lineman, that was working out.

Two team sources said that nothing should be read into the workout, and that the Redskins hold weekly workouts for prospects.

Russell, however, happens to be a pretty big name. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said, however, that he was one of "a couple other" quarterbacks working out, although he didn't know their names.

Russell held much promise coming out of LSU in 2007, but ended up being a bust with the Raiders, and has battled off-field issues as well. Shanahan said that Russell is talented enough to overcome his troubled past, but didn't make any indications that that comeback would be with the Redskins.

"I have no idea," the younger Shanahan said when asked why he thought Russell never blossomed. "I haven't studied JaMarcus since he came out of college, but I think like everybody, I thought he was a hell of a talent. I know it didn't work out for him, but I'll go take a look at him when I get done with you guys, and we'll evaluate him along with everybody else out there."

It could be something, or may be nothing, but it certainly was eye-brow raising considering on Sunday, Mike Shanahan benched Donovan McNabb with 1:50 left in Sunday's game with Washington only down by six points, saying his reason was because McNabb wasn't as fluent in the two-minute offense as he needed to be, and then a day later saying that two bad hamstrings would've prevented McNabb from running the offense properly.

Over at TBDScrum, TBD's Daniel Victor wonders whether giving Russell a shot would a terrible idea, or merely a bad one.