The Redskins have signed veteran wide receiver Mike Furrey and released four players including tight end Sean Ryan, the team announced on Wednesday.
Also released were cornerback Marcus McCauley, linebacker Alvin Bowen and defensive lineman Antoine Holmes.
Furrey, 6-0 and 195 pounds, has played both wide receiver and defensive back in his NFL career.
He has had greater success at wide receiver, posting 221 catches for 2,298 yards and seven touchdowns in his seven-year career.
He turned in his best season in 2006 playing in Mike Martz's offense with the Detroit Lions. He grabbed 98 passes for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns, all career highs.
Furrey entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2000. He played in the now-defunct XFL and the Arena Football League before catching on with the St. Louis Rams in 2003.
He was a wide receiver for the Rams, but due to injuries in the secondary in 2005 he converted to free safety. He posted 48 tackles and four interceptions, one of which he returned 67 yards for a touchdown.
Furrey returned to a wide receiver role in his three seasons in Detroit. Last year, he joined the Cleveland Browns and caught 23 passes for 170 yards.
Furrey, 33, joins a Redskins wide receiver corps that includes plenty of veteran depth in Santana Moss, Joey Galloway and Bobby Wade and some promising young players in Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.
Furrey is a native of Galion, Ohio. He played college football at Northern Iowa.
Ryan's release comes as a mild surprise.
He signed with the Redskins on March 11 to serve as a blocking tight end along-side Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. However, in off-season practices, it appears he was beaten out for playing time by second-year tight end Lee Vickers.
Bowen was on the Redskins' roster for the final five games of the 2009 season but he did not see any playing time.
McCauley signed with the Redskins for the season finale last year but was deactivated prior to the game.
Holmes spent time on the Redskins' practice squad last year.
