NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans added veteran linebacker James Anderson to their roster in a move to fill the spot vacated when Zach Brown suffered a season-ending injury in their season opener.
Brown heads to injured reserve with the pectoral injury he suffered on the first defensive series in Kansas City.
Anderson was a third-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers out of Virginia Tech in 2006. He played for the Panthers from 2006 through 2012, playing in 110 games and starting 69. In 2013 he started all 16 games for the Chicago Bears.
The Titans think he can play inside, where they are thinner. He played strong outside linebacker in Chicago. He was most recently with the New England Patriots, where he played outside in a 4-3 and inside in a 3-4.
Anderson is regarded as a strong coverage player but not as stout against the run. The Titans are coming off a poor run-defense game where they gave up 220 yards on the ground to Dallas.
The Titans appear set with Wesley Woodyard and Zaviar Gooden as their inside linebackers. Anderson won't bring much bulk if he's an alternative inside. The Bears listed him at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds last year.
According to the Bears' statistics, Anderson led Chicago with 129.5 tackles, including 7.5 for a loss. He had four sacks and 10 quarterback pressures.
According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, Anderson, Allen Bradford, L.J. Fort, Paris Lenon and Will Herring recently worked out for Tennessee.