Williams Goes On The Block; No Offers Yet : Football: Cowboys pass because of cost, Buccaneers might be interested.

General manager Bobby Beathard said Monday that he has talked to five teams about trading disgruntled defensive end Lee Williams, but so far Beathard has not received any serious offers.

Beathard said he contacted the Dallas Cowboys because they expressed interest in Williams during his holdout last year.

“Nothing has gone past the inquiry stage,” Beathard said.

Reports out of Dallas indicated that the Cowboys were interested in Williams, but they believed the Chargers’ asking price was too high.

Beathard said he is looking for at least a No. 1 draft choice and possibly more, depending on the team.

“We’re not going to have a fire sale,” Beathard said. “We’re not giving him away. And we’re not going to spend any time calling teams. If they’re interested, they can call us.”

The Cowboys, who last week acquired nose tackle Tony Casillas from the Atlanta Falcons, might be looking for more help on the defensive line. They have two unproven players, Jimmy Jones and Tolbert, starting on the ends.

Defensive end Daniel Stubbs, who started last year and had a team-high 7 1/2 sacks, is holding out and the Cowboys are said to be shopping him.

Beathard said he has also talked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets about Williams.

A Tampa Bay team official confirmed Monday that he was confident he would acquire a veteran defensive lineman who had reached an impasse with his current team. The team official said that player had been seeking a trade.

Williams, a two-time Pro Bowl starter, attended high school in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and college at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Fla. Williams and his wife, Susie, live in Lauderhill, Fla.

The Buccaneers have had problems in their defensive line and they attempted to acquire Casillas. The Bucs don’t have a No. 1 draft choice next year, but are deep at wide receiver and might be willing to part with Mark Carrier.

The Jets have had injury problems on their defensive line. Fourth-round pick Mark Gunn from Pittsburgh is out for four weeks with a sprained ankle and ninth-round selection Paul Glonek from Arizona might miss six weeks with an ailing back.

Beathard said he has been contacted by two other teams, but they did not appear interested. He did not say who the two teams were.

Although the Chargers’ first exhibition game is Aug. 3 at home against Houston, Beathard said he has not set a deadline for deciding the Williams issue.

“We’re in no hurry,” he said. “We’re not going to go out hunting.”

Beathard added that he has heard that Mike Merkow, Marion Butts’ agent, has been calling other teams to see if they are interested in Williams.

Beathard said he spoke with No. 1 draft choice Stanley Richard Monday. Richard is the only unsigned draft choice.

“I told him it was important that he be here before we leave for Flagstaff (Wednesday),” Beathard said.

Running back Eric Bieniemy, a second-round pick, sprained his ankle during the morning practice. Coach Dan Henning said he expects Bieniemy to miss three days, but Bieniemy said he would practice today.

Also, Bienemy changed his number from 40 to 32, And he didn’t do it with Jim Brown, Franco Harris or O.J. Simpson in mind. Bieniemy said his idol is Raider running back Marcus Allen, who also wears 32.

The runaway leader for the biggest surprise of the camp at UC San Diego is running Chris Samuels, a 12th-round draft choice from Texas.

Samuels has shown elusiveness, a soft pair of hands and the ability to return punts and kickoffs.

“He came out of nowhere,” offensive coordinator Ted Tollner said. “He does a lot of things well. He’s a third-down back, a receiver and a special teams performer.”

Samuels, a 5-10, 198 pounder, averaged 5.1 yards a carry and 9.3 yards a reception during his four-year career at Texas. In his first two seasons, Samuels played behind Cleveland Browns running back Eric Metcalf.

Tollner said Samuels is not as quick as Metcalf, but he possesses the same kind of tools.

“He’s got a real good change of direction,” Tollner said. “He’s very hard to tackle. But most importantly, he learns fast. He just doesn’t make many mental mistakes.”

Being a 12th-round draft choice, Samuels is not about to get a big head. In fact, he has tried to downplay his performance.

“I think I’m having a pretty good camp, but I’m not satisfied,” he said. “I think I’m doing some things well, but I would like to be doing a little better at other things--like pass protecting.”

Samuels said he was never asked to block anyone like Junior Seau in college. During some pass-blocking drills, Seau has made Samuels look downright silly.

“I don’t mind the embarrassment,” he said. “That’s the only way you can improve. With Junior out here, every day is game day.”

But no matter how versatile Samuels is and no matter how many heads he turns, he still might not have enough to make the 47-man roster. If Marion Butts ends his holdout, Samuels’ chances will diminish greatly.

If the Chargers keep four backs, as they did last year, they are almost certain to be Butts, Bieniemy, Rod Bernstine and Ronnie Harmon.

Yet, Tollner said there could still be room on the 47-man roster for Samuels.

“He fits a role for us,” Tollner said. “Every time you bring up numbers, you bring up his name.”

For now, that’s all Samuels can ask.

“I’ll be happy wherever they play me, special teams . . . anything,” he said.

Tollner said the absence of Marion Butts would have an adverse effect on offensive production, but perhaps not to the extent that everyone thinks.

“Marion is such a durable back,” Tollner said. “He’s very unique in that he can wear people down. But we’re not going to change our style if he’s not here. Running back is one of our strongest positions.”

Tollner hinted that Butts might be more expendable than he thinks.

“We’re not changing our approach,” Tollner said. “We’re not at a point where we’re looking to make a trade or change our offense because he’s not here.”

Charger Notes

Wayne Dickson, a free-agent linebacker from Oklahoma, walked out of camp Monday. Dickson, who played for the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football this season, is the second WLAF player to leave camp in two days. Offensive guard Jeff Novak, who played for the WLAF’s Montreal Machine, left camp Sunday. “Those guys have played a lot of football this year,” Henning said. “The sense of urgency isn’t there when they have another opportunity. They’re both improved players, but we’re improved too.” Dickson, 6-foot-3, 253-pound inside linebacker, was in the Chargers’ camp last year, but was released before the season. . . . The Chargers announced they have released wide receiver Keith McDonald, a third-year free agent from San Jose State. . . . Veteran defensive George Hinkle entered camp Monday. A fourth-year player out of Arizona, Hinkle signed in the morning and practiced in the afternoon, leaving the Chargers with 79 signed players on their roster.