Former Bengals right tackle Willie Anderson appears to be the biggest prize from the list of players cut over the weekend.
According to his agent, Terry Bolar, Anderson has limited his options to Baltimore, Tampa Bay and San Diego. He visited Baltimore on Wednesday and is off to Tampa Bay for a Thursday visit. Next stop is San Diego, with the hopes of getting a deal done by Friday or Saturday.
A former Pro Bowler, Anderson is considered a hot veteran addition because of his leadership and his ability to step in as a starting right tackle when needed. Bolar said Anderson passed all physical tests during his Baltimore trip. He had knee problems the past couple of years in Cincinnati.
The most interesting pursuit of Anderson is coming from the Chargers. General manager A.J. Smith has brought in five veterans for key backup roles, and Smith wants Anderson to be the sixth.
"Once he was made available by the Bengals, we looked at the great career that he had in Cincinnati, and you just have to take a look at him," said Smith, who usually doesn't talk publicly about players the Chargers are pursuing. "We contacted his agent and I talked to him personally. We decided to throw our hats in the ring."
Anderson is an interesting fit on the Chargers. Smith brought in five veterans with 41 years of total experience -- linebacker Derek Smith, tackle L.J. Shelton, center Jeremy Newberry, guard Kynan Forney and tight end Kris Wilson. Those players total 558 NFL games and 516 starts. Though they were signed as backups, some of their services may be required in the opener for possible starts. Smith, Newberry and Shelton could start against the Panthers because of injury.
In San Diego, Anderson would back up Jeromey Clary at right tackle and provide leadership on an offensive line that is trying to help the Chargers go to the Super Bowl.
"We'd like to get him, but we will wish him the best if he goes a different direction," Smith said.
Pitt adds depth: The Steelers signed tight end/fullback Sean McHugh to help with blocking in running situations. The Steelers had only two tight ends on the roster and they were trying to go with more athletic, pass-catching fullbacks.
Smith on short leash: It's no surprise the 49ers have decided Alex Smith won't be back next season if he's a backup. He's scheduled to make $24.6 million over the next two seasons. Losing the starting job to J.T. O'Sullivan, who makes the minimum salary and doesn't have an NFL start, pretty well kills him in the locker room. For the sake of job security of everybody in San Francisco, the 49ers have to rally around O'Sullivan and make it work on offense.
Detroit goes south: The Lions' addition of linebacker Ryan Nece now gives Rod Marinelli six former Bucs on defense. The list has grown to defensive tackle Chuck Darby, defensive end Dwayne White, safeties Dwight Smith and Kalvin Pearson and cornerback Brian Kelly. Marinelli wanted defenders who knew the Bucs' system when he was a defensive line coach in Tampa Bay.
Chicago shores up: The Bears made the trade for Bucs guard Dan Buenning because they had only seven offensive linemen on the roster, and that includes left tackle Chris Williams, who will miss most -- if not all -- of the season because of back problems. Had they not traded for Buenning, Kirk Barton, a seventh-round choice, was going to be their only interior line backup.
John Clayton
