Charger Roster Down to 47 Men : Football: Bayless, McEwen among those cut, but might be back.

SAN DIEGO —  The Chargers waived 13 players Monday, including veterans Martin Bayless, Craig McEwen and Walter Wilson, to reach the 47-man roster limit. But for many, the goodbys could be short-lived.

Coach Dan Henning said he expects Bayless and McEwen to be back on the roster today if they clear waivers this morning.

“They’ll be back and they’ll play Sunday,” Henning said.

Bayless is a four-year starter at strong safety and McEwen, an H-back, caught 29 passes last year.

Henning said Wilson, a wide receiver who was a third-round pick in 1990 from East Carolina, has probably played his last game for the Chargers.

“He falls by the wayside because he’s smaller, he’s been a little inconsistent and he’s not a special teams player,” Henning said.

In 14 games last season, Wilson caught 10 passes for 87 yards.

Rookie Shawn Jefferson, recently acquired from Houston in the Lee Williams trade, and four-year veteran Kitrick Taylor were kept instead of Wilson.

Taylor, who was waived the past two years on final cut day, will be the team’s punt returner and third receiver.

“I’ve been on pins and needles,” he said. “I didn’t get much sleep (Sunday night). I went through this for two years. I guess I woke up on the right side of the bed this year.”

H-back Terry Orr and cornerback Darren Carrington were waived, but are possible candidates to be recalled.

Others who were released, but are possible candidates for the five-man developmental squad if they are not claimed by 9 a.m. today are: rookie receiver Yancey Thigpen, a fourth-round pick from Winston-Salem State; rookie center Mike Heldt, a 10th-round pick from Notre Dame; and running back Chris Samuels, a 12th-round pick from Texas.

Also released were defensive tackle Mark Mraz, linebackers Stephon Weatherspoon and Andy Katoa, cornerback Bobby Humphery and offensive tackle Mike Withycombe.

Katoa, a ninth-round draft choice from Southern Oregon State, and possibly rookie wide receiver Joe Weinberg are also believed to be in the running for spots on the developmental squad. Developmental players may be signed by another team.

Linebacker Mike Wilcher, a recent waiver acquisition from the Rams, was kept over inexperienced players.

“The younger players have been given an opportunity on defense and special teams, (but) they haven’t shown it,” Henning said. “Wilcher is a polished guy. He came out and he learned everything last week real quickly.”

Henning said cornerback Cedric Mack, who was picked up from the Phoenix Cardinals last week, also picked up the system quickly.

“He was a starter as a cover guy and that’s something that we’ve been lacking,” he said. “We will hope that he’s played the way he’s played in the past.”

General Manager Bobby Beathard said he is planning to place three players on injured reserve, which disqualifies them from a minimum of four games. Four possible candidates are quarterback Bob Gagliano (knee), guard Mike Zandofsky (knee), tight end Duane Young (ankle) and safety Floyd Fields (shin).

Beathard studied the waiver wire Monday afternoon for players that could help and said he will probably put in a claim on a veteran player. Washington defensive tackle Darryl Grant is believed to be one of the veterans Beathard is considering.