Quarterback Neil O'Donnell returned to Nashville Tuesday night, but it may be next week before he can return to the field for the Titans.

Tennessee does not have enough salary cap room to sign O'Donnell back at the veteran minimum, if that were all he wanted. The Titans have just $73,000 in salary cap room. signing O'Donnell to the veteran minimum would cost the Titans about $89,000.

Tennessee cannot release a player to create cap room, because any player on the roster as of 4p Tuesday counts in that week's salary cap number.

''I have two AFC Championships rings, I don't have a Super Bowl ring,'' O'Donnell told the Tennessean. ''But the one thing, I don't want to look back down the road if the situation is right here and say 'I wish I came back for those last couple of weeks.'

''But I have to feel good going out there, risking my injuries to go play ball. I am going to wait and see what happens.''

The Tennessean reports the most likely scenario appears to be the Titans waiting to sign O'Donnell next week. That would leave Steve McNair and Jason Gesser as the only available quarterbacks for the game at Houston.