The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers have only a vague idea when All-Pro linebacker Joey Porter will return after being shot last weekend in Denver. It could be as little as two weeks, or as long as half the season.

Coach Bill Cowher said Tuesday that Porter's injuries easily could have been much worse, and there is every reason to believe the Steelers' best defensive player will be back well before the season ends. Pittsburgh opens Sunday against Baltimore.

"More tests are being taken, but there have been no setbacks to this point," Cowher said. "(What happens) over the next couple of days will have a lot to do with his status."

A bullet struck Porter in the buttocks and lodged in his right thigh as he was standing in a crowd of about 150 outside a Denver sports bar early Sunday. One person was killed and four others were injured in what police describe as a drive-by shooting.

After flying to Pittsburgh on a private plane Monday, Porter had the bullet removed from his thigh by team doctor James Bradley. Cowher said Porter can begin rehabilitating immediately.

If Porter suffered no significant nerve or muscle damage and his wounds heal normally, his recovery could be on the short side. But if scar tissue builds up where muscle once was, Porter's recovery could take longer.

Porter is expected to visit the Steelers' locker room later this week, and Cowher plans to have him on the sideline Sunday.

TEXANS: The team signed free agent linebackers Steve Foley and Armegis Spearman, who both most recently played for the Bengals.

Foley has played in 54 games in five seasons and has 158 tackles, 9 1/2 sacks and five forced fumbles. Spearman, who was on injured reserve for a torn pectoral muscle in 2001, has 71 tackles in 22 career games.

LIONS: Running back James Stewart will miss the season after separating his right shoulder. Stewart, Detroit's leading rusher the past three seasons, was hurt during Thursday's preseason game against Buffalo.

"Looking at the injury, he is going to require surgery at some point in time," Lions president Matt Millen said.

TITANS: The Tennessee Titans aren't through adjusting their roster, signing safety Scott McGarrahan and releasing linebacker Frank Chamberlin, their fifth-round draft pick in 2000.

The Titans also worked out two more players Tuesday, including safety Lamont Thompson, who was cut by the Bengals on Sunday.

SEAHAWKS: Holdout tackle Walter Jones, who had been seeking a long-term deal with the team, reported Tuesday. Jones, the team's franchise player, was expected to sign a one-year tender worth $5.9 million.

PATRIOTS: New England cut four-time Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy, who started 106 straight games going back to his rookie season in 1996. Milloy, 29, had 19 regular-season career interceptions, seven sacks, seven fumble recoveries and 846 tackles in his seven seasons with the Patriots.

REDSKINS: Rookie wide receiver Taylor Jacobs was released from the hospital Tuesday, five days after being kicked in the stomach during an exhibition game and suffering what the team described as "abdominal trauma." He will miss Thursday's season opener against the Jets.

FALCONS: The team claimed Woodrow Dantzler off waivers from Dallas and waived fullback George Layne - making rookie Justin Griffith, a fourth-round pick from Mississippi State, the starting fullback.

Dantzler, a former starting quarterback at Clemson who was converted into a kickoff returner and running back by Dallas, averaged 22.3 yards on 27 returns in five games on the Cowboys' active roster last season. The Cowboys, who play Atlanta Sunday, moved Dantzler to safety in the preseason, but the Falcons will use him as a running back.

CHARGERS: Rookie cornerback Sammy Davis will start Sunday's opener at Kansas City. Davis, the fifth overall draft pick, was selected over Tay Cody.

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