The
New Orleans Saints were among the first to announce moves Wednesday, when coach Jim Haslett said the club would release linebacker
Orlando Ruff.
Ruff, a six-year veteran, would have earned $1.1 million in the final year of his three-year contract this season. After he is released, he will count $125,000 against the Saints' salary cap -- one-third of the signing bonus he received in 2003, the Times-Picayune reported on Wednesday.
Ruff started 17 games in the past two seasons but did not win the job outright. He became expendable when the Saints drafted middle linebackers
Courtney Watson and
Alfred Fincher in the past two drafts.
<!-- add from Ticker sep -->The
New England Patriots waived quarterback
Chris Redman. Redman was signed by the Patriots in January after missing the entire 2004 season while recovering from back surgery.
His chances of making the team took a major hit when the Patriots signed veteran quarterback
Doug Flutie in April to back up
Tom Brady. The other quarterback spot will likely go to
Rohan Davey, a backup for the last three years.
Rookie quarterback
Matt Cassel, a seventh-round pick out of Southern California, might spend the year on the practice squad.
Redman, 27, played for the
Baltimore Ravens from 2000 to 2003. He started six of 10 games and completed 106 of 198 passes for 1,111 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions. <!-- end (latest) Ticker add -->
The Redskins are also expected to be one of the teams that take advantage. Receiver
Rod Gardner, linebacker
Mike Barrow and returner Chad Morton most likely will be released to make room under the cap. Washington needs to sign two first-round picks -- cornerback
Carlos Rogers and quarterback
Jason Campbell.
Gardner, a 2001 first-round pick, was given permission to seek a trade after expressing unhappiness with his role in the offense. He caught 51 passes for 650 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Unable to work out a deal, the Redskins now may just release Gardner. In the offseason, Washington acquired receiver-returner
Santana Moss from the
New York Jets for receiver
Laveranues Coles and signed receiver
David Patten as a free agent. The acquisition of Moss also made expendable Morton, a veteran returner.
Barrow, a middle linebacker who is rehabilitating from a knee injury, may also be cut.
Releasing Gardner, Morton and Barrow would free up about $3 million in cap space for the Redskins.
Tackle
Kyle Turley of the
St. Louis Rams, receiver Johnnie Morton of the
Kansas City Chiefs, cornerback
Bobby Taylor of the
Seattle Seahawks and safety
Lance Schulters of the Tennessee Titans are some of the other veterans that could be cut after June 1.
Turley missed all of last season with a back injury, then criticized Rams coach Mike Martz. St. Louis used its first-round pick on tackle
Alex Barron of Florida State.
Johnnie Morton is due to make $3 million in 2005, and the Chiefs are hoping he will accept a pay cut. He caught 55 passes for 795 yards and three scores last season.
Taylor was a bust after signing with Seattle as a free agent last season. The Seahawks added cornerbacks
Andre Dyson and
Kelly Herndon in the offseason, likely signaling the end for Taylor.
The Titans cut numerous players in March, including receiver
Derrick Mason, cornerback
Samari Rolle and tackle
Fred Miller for salary cap purposes. Schulters may be the next to go since he has a $4.2 million cap figure in 2005 and lost his starting job to
Lamont Thompson last season.