As the Titans wait for QB Peyton Manning to decide where he'll play next season, the team has added reinforcements for the unit that will be assigned to block him.

The team has signed OG Steve Hutchinson to a three-year contract. The 34-year-old was released earlier in the week by the Vikings after six seasons with the team. The news was first reported by ESPN's Jon Clayton.

Hutchinson, a seven-time Pro Bowler, has started all 157 games in which he has played in his career. Many believed he was going to return to Seattle after playing the first five years of his career with the Seahawks, but he instead opted to head to Tennessee. There, he will either be reunited with fellow ex-Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, or be a guy who is asked to help keep defenders away from Manning.

The way we see it

Whether or not Manning picks the Titans, the club was in the market for a replacement for ORG Jake Scott. The future Hall of Famer Hutchinson certainly fits the bill. Although he has been slowed by injuries the past two seasons, Hutchinson still can get the job done, and he bolsters what already was one of the league's better pass-protection units last season.

That the Titans decided to go with a veteran after hinting at an infusion of youth being called upon to upgrade the interior of the offensive line is interesting. Whether he is blocking for Manning, a close friend, or Hasselbeck, whom he played with in Seattle for several years, Hutchinson joins a team with a rich tradition of offensive linemen.