NFL news roundup: Several teams make secondary cuts on Friday

The Jaguars, Cardinals, Chargers and Panthers all released veteran starters in their secondaries and cleared cap space.

Mar 8, 2013, 11:00 PM UTC

Andy Lyons

Friday was marked by several cuts, as Adrian Wilson and Dawan Landry were among a handful of defensive backs that were sent out on to the open market as cap casualties with less than a week remaining before NFL free agency officially begins.

Among the highest profile releases was a fire sale in the secondary of the Jacksonville Jaguars, as new general manager Dave Caldwell severed ties with 2011 free-agent acquisition, safety Landry, and 2012 free-agent, cornerback Aaron Ross. Following the releases, the Jaguars secondary is pretty bare and has just two cornerbacks on the roster, Kevin Rutland and Mike Harris.

The Jaguars weren't the only ones trimming their secondary, though, as the Arizona Cardinals elected to part ways with safety Wilson after 12 seasons with the team. Wilson was named to the Pro Bowl in five seasons and was a First-Team All-Pro in 2009, but was due a $1 million roster bonus on Tuesday. His release ultimately opens an additional $3 million in cap space for the Cardinals.

The San Diego Chargers also joined in to trim their secondary down by releasing safety Atari Bigby after just one season with the team. The eight-year veteran started 11 games for the Chargers in 2012, but his release coupled with the departure of Takeo Spikes on Thursday cleared $4.5 of cap space for the team.

Chris Gamble joined the cornerback market on Friday as well, as the Carolina Panthers released him to avoid his $10.95 million cap hit for the 2013 season. In nine seasons with the Panthers, Gamble started in 117 games and recorded a franchise-record 27 interceptions.

The only exceptions to the trend of veteran releases were the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals who dished out new contracts to quarterback Matt Moore and punter Kevin Huber, respectively. The terms of Moore's contract were not released, but he'll serve as a backup to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, while Huber received a five-year deal that will keep him as the long-term starter for the Bengals.