Bills Claim LB Shawne Merriman Off Waiver Wire

The Bills can not really get much worse as they are sitting at 0-7 on the season. Merriman was placed on the Chargers injured reserve with a calf muscle injury and listed as a “minor-injury designation,” and once Merriman was able to pass the physical the Chargers waived him. Now that Merriman has passed the physical he should be able to suit up right away for Buffalo.

Though his production has slipped much more dramatically than Randy Moss, former All-Pro Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman drew more interest on the waiver wire than Moss.

In all, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, three teams placed waiver claims on Merriman: the Bills, Dolphins and Buccaneers. Obviously, with the winless Bills having the top waiver spot, anyone who they claimed they would get, but it’s interesting that Merriman drew more interest than Moss. Only one team, the Tennessee Titans, placed a claim on Moss and they were 22nd in the waiver order, meaning 21 other teams passed on the opportunity to get the Pro Bowl receiver.

Schefter reports that Merriman plans to report “for now.” There’s no reason for him not to report at this point. He’s on a one-year contract and the biggest question mark is his health. So he likely wants to stay healthy and play the rest of the season in order to be in line for a free agent contract in 2011.

As SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings points out, there are plenty of questions still to be answered.

The Bills are at the top of the waiver wire so if they want Merriman, he’s theirs. Merriman is due just under $3.3 million this year so if the Bills did claim him they’d be responsible for the remainder of his contract.

As Brian Galliford over at Buffalo Rumblings writes, “Something must be brewing here.” Nothing will become official until 4:00 p.m. but Glazer says he has two sources tell him the Bills will do it.

On Tuesday he passed his physical and has been placed on the waiver wire.

Though Merriman is a big name, he hasn’t been productive in the last three seasons. He’s played just 18 games since his 2007 13-sack season.

Merriman and Moss would both hit the waiver wire meaning both could be claimed by a team. Or both players could also go unclaimed and become free agents. He’s currently signed to a one year, $3.269 million contract. If there’s any team that wanted him on a tryout basis then this is it.

SB Nation’s Bolts From The Blue takes a look at a few of the candidates for Merriman’s next stop.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune reports it’s a “minor injury designation” which means the Chargers will release him when he’s healthy. His time in San Diego is over. It’s hard to see him ever returning to San Diego.

Merriman entered the season dealing with an Achilles’ injury but was able to finally get on the field. He left the Chargers Week 3 game with a calf injury, and missed Week 4, but most recently was able to play in Week 5.