Chargers : Macek Signs After One-Day Holdout

Center Don Macek signed a contract with the San Diego Chargers Saturday after a one-day holdout. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Macek, a 12-year veteran, practiced with the team Saturday afternoon.

That leaves four players unsigned: tight end Rod Bernstine, the Chargers’ No. 1 draft pick, and three veterans: linebacker Billy Ray Smith, center-guard Dennis McKnight and linebacker Tom Benson.

The Chargers waived cornerback Ken Taylor, who started the last 11 games of the 1986 season, because he did not pass his physical.

Coach Al Saunders said Taylor had a “problem with his spinal column” that team doctors believed was too serious to allow him to play football.

“From a safety standpoint, we felt that it was not in anybody’s best interest to allow him to play,” Saunders said.

Veteran safety Jeffrey Dale also failed his physical because of a back problem, but the injury is not believed to be as serious. Saunders said Dale has a “soft-tissue” injury in his back. He is on a day-to-day basis.

Dale injured his back in the Chargers’ mini-camp in May.