McNabb wants TO in Washington.

Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb has encouraged the team's coaching staff to consider signing free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens, despite the acrimony that marked their time as Philadelphia Eagles teammates, according to multiple sources.

Coach Mike Shanahan told Werder that the Redskins are not actively pursuing Owens. A team source said the Redskins have made upgrading their wide receiver position a high priority, but prefer to avoid bringing Owens into their locker room if another solution can be found.

A source close to McNabb told Paolantonio that McNabb and Owens recently talked about the possibility of reuniting while recently shooting an episode for a television show in Los Angeles. The "Pros v. Joes" episode features McNabb and Owens playing together on the same basketball team. The episode is scheduled to air in July on Spike.

Whatever potential there is for a McNabb-Owens reunion would serve to further heighten interest in the two regular-season games between the NFC East rival Redskins and Eagles this season. At their pinnacle, McNabb and Owens were Super Bowl teammates; in the end, Owens hinted vaguely that McNabb suffered a failure of nerve that cost Philadelphia a Super Bowl ring and suggested the quarterback contributed to the Eagles releasing him.

Owens spent the 2009 season with the Buffalo Bills, the fourth team of his NFL career, finishing with the worst stats of his career as a starter. While Owens is widely viewed as a player in decline, Shanahan's first minicamp with the Redskins provided some insight into the Redskins' concerns at that position. Veterans Jerry Porter and Marques Hagans participated, and the team on Monday signed Hagans and Roydell Williams, who hasn't played since 2007 with the Tennessee Titans.

The Redskins are a four-win team with limited resources to acquire talent in this week's NFL draft. Trading a second-round pick to the NFC East rival Eagles for McNabb left the Redskins with an NFL-low four picks.

The Redskins have the No. 4 overall pick on Thursday, and Shanahan and Redskins general manager Bruce Allen will have to get creative to improve their roster. There is potential for the team to trade the fourth pick, defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth and former starting quarterback Jason Campbell, which could open the door for them to sign Owens.

Ed Werder is an ESPN NFL reporter. ESPN reporter Sal Paolantonio and ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen contributed to this report.