Receiver Travis Taylor signed with the Raiders on Tuesday and was at practice today. He was the 10th overall pick in 2000 by Baltimore and spent the past two seasons with Minnesota.
"Yesterday they threw me into the fire," Taylor said. "I said, 'Man, give me some time to relax and kick back a little bit.' I signed a contract and 10 minutes later I was out on the field. It just shows how much they wanted me here."
He'll compete with a group that includes Mike Williams, Alvis Whitted, Johnnie Morant and rookie Johnnie Lee Higgins behind projected starters Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry.
Taylor had 57 catches for 651 yards and three touchdowns last season. His best season was 2002, when he had career highs of 61 catches for 869 yards and six touchdowns.
The Raiders haven't had players with legal troubles, but Taylor and running back Dominic Rhodes came to them after scrapes with the law in the offseason.
Rhodes situation was settled and it looks like Taylor won't have to meet the principal ... er, Commissioner Roger Goodell about his conduct.
Taylor pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct after a scuffle outside a downtown Minneapolis nightclub early on New Year's Day. He was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $75 in administrative fees, and perform 48 hours of community service. His 90-day jail sentence will be avoided if Taylor doesn't commit the same or a similar offense in the next year.
The other new addition on the field was rookie running back Curtis Brown, a free-agent pickup from BYU.
-- Jason Jones
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