The Oakland Raiders released veteran right guard Mike Brisiel after two up-and-down, injury-filled years on Tuesday.
And while the move frees up a relatively minor $1.38 million in salary cap space, Brisiel's figure drops from third-highest on the team to 11th, and the Raiders now have just over $13.24 million in dead money for 2014.
Brisiel, 31, came to the Raiders after five seasons with the Houston Texans as part of general manager Reggie McKenzie's first class of free agent signings and was the centerpiece of coach Dennis Allen flipping the offensive system from a power scheme to a zone-blocking one under then-offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
It did not work.
So with the Raiders now going back to more power-oriented blocking, the zone-proficient Brisiel became expendable after two years in Oakland in which, despite being hobbled, he still managed to play in 30 of the Raiders' 32 games.
News out of the NFL owners meetings last week in Orlando painted Brisiel as the odd man out on the Raiders' offensive line as the presumptive starters were Donald Penn at left tackle, Kevin Boothe at left guard, Stefen Wisniewski at center, Austin Howard at Brisiel's old spot at right guard and Menelik Watson at right tackle. Plus, the Raiders also re-signed swingman Khalif Barnes, who has played right tackle, left tackle and left guard, and still have guard Tony Bergstrom, who was McKenzie's first-ever draft pick in Oakland, tackle Matt McCants and guard Lamar Mady.
Coming into Monday, the Raiders had just over $13.07 million in salary-cap space, according to ESPN Stats & Info, though that was before they signed cornerback Carlos Rogers to an undisclosed contract.
