David Stewart was a tough, nasty right tackle for the Tennessee Titans, drafted in 2005 out of Mississippi State.
He did a lot of tone-setting and a lot of mauling.
But he broke his leg two seasons ago, and rarely practiced last season with a variety of injuries, some connected to his recovery and some new.
At $6.4 million his 2014 salary was prohibitive and Wednesday the Titans officially parted ways with him, waiving him with a failed physical.
"Dave was a fixture for us at right tackle over the last eight years," said Titans general manager Ruston Webster. "He played the game with passion and brought a toughness that every team needs. Dave was a player we have always been able to count on and in our mind he will always be a Titan. We wish him and his family the best moving forward and thank him for his time with the Titans."
Byron Stingily is the in-house option to replace him. A mid-level free agent or a mid-round draft pick could be the answer too.
The Titans have second year players at right guard, in chance Warmack, and at center, in Brian Schwenke. Another kid would make them a very young line, but give them a lot of potential to grow together.
A best-case scenario could be to draft a player who can man right tackle this year and be ready to move to left tackle to replace Michael Roos after that.
Stewart did good work for them, but it's time to move on.
The Titans had just over $10 million in salary cap room before signing Dexter McCluster and Leon Washington. They gain Stewart's full scheduled salary of $6.4 million now.
Earlier Wednesday I asked Ken Whisenhunt about waiting on making cuts, as Stewart and Chris Johnson are players the team is not married to who can bring extensive savings.
"I think we have to do what's in the best interest of the Tennessee Titans and that's really what it's all about," he said.
