On Saturday night, the league’s MVP for the 2005 season gave a sideline interview during ESPN’s coverage of the Alabama-Georgia game, and the topic of his possible return to the NFL wasn’t even mentioned.

And it could be that he’s back in the NFL pretty soon.

Shaun Alexander, who was cut by the Seahawks earlier this year and who has been largely ignored since then, might find himself in the middle of a rush to secure his services.

The Steelers have temporarily (so they say) lost Willie Parker to a knee sprain, and rookie Rashard Mendenhall is done for the year with a fractured shoulder blade.  Thus, Alexander could be getting a call from the Steelers as soon as today — if he hasn’t heard from them already.

And that possibility might prompt another AFC North team to make a play for Alexander.  Keep an eye on the Bengals, who might very well try to preempt Pittsburgh by inking Shaun ASAFP.

This potential tug-o-war between division rivals could potentially coax other interested teams out of the weeds, too.  If any team is truly interested in Alexander, the window of opportunity to get him under contract this year could be closing.

Then again, the Steelers might opt to bring back the devil that they know in Najeh Davenport, who spent the past couple of seasons with the Steelers before being released.  Other available veteran free agents include Cedric Benson and Tatum Bell.

The Steelers should also consider calling the Titans about the availability of Chris Henry, a 2007 second-round pick who has gotten lost on a roster that features Chris Johnson and LenDale White.  (Then again, the Titans would probably want more for him than the Steelers are willing to sacrifice for a 12-game fill-in.)

Alexander has visited the Bengals, Saints, and Lions since being dumped by the Seahawks.