PRO FOOTBALL REPORT : WEEKDAY UPDATE : RAIDERS : Washington Plans to Be Ready to Play

Coach Art Shell expects cornerback Lionel Washington to recover fully from his pulled hamstring before the Raiders’ first-round playoff game Jan. 13 at the Coliseum. Washington missed most of the Minnesota game two weeks ago and did not play in last Sunday’s 17-12 victory over San Diego.

Washington said he could have played against the Chargers but was held out at the last minute.

“Sometimes you’ve got to make the decisions for the players,” Shell said. “All players want to give it a go.”

Although tight end Mike Dyal has apparently recovered from his pulled hamstring, there is still some question whether the Raiders will activate him from injured reserve for a second time. The last time, on Dec. 2 against Denver, he reinjured the hamstring in his first game back, costing the Raiders their final roster activation for the regular season.

“We thought he was all right the last time we did it,” Shell said.

The Raiders released veteran linebacker Ricky Hunley and signed free-agent linebacker Darin Jordan to fill his spot on the roster. Jordan, in his second season from Northwestern, signed as a free agent with the Raiders in 1990 but was released during training camp.