NFL cuts: Knighton, Kruger get released

Some key NFL veterans have been sent packing today.

With the NFL cut down day to 75 players looming on Tuesday, some organizations took early action in trimming down their respective rosters. Camps begin with 90 guys and have to eventually reach 53 by the start of the regular season.

That means, like every year, some notable names will hit waivers as the preseason concludes. Today, Terrance Knighton (New England Patriots), Geoff Schwartz (Detroit Lions), and Paul Kruger (Cleveland Browns) were all let go.

A veteran defensive tackle, “Pot Roast” Knighton was signed by New England in March before he announced he had been released this morning. Now, in his eighth season, he will look for work elsewhere. A member of the Jags, Skins, and Broncos, Knighton has played in a total of 108 games with a combined 230 tackles. He also has 14 sacks in his career. One of the hardest parts of his NFL journey has been managing his fluctuating weight. With teams fine tuning their rosters, time will tell if he can get another opportunity on Sundays.

Schwartz, sliced by Detroit today, has been plagued by injuries in the past. This time, it was just a matter of better, younger options being ahead of him. Previously with the Giants, Chiefs, Vikings and Panthers, Schwartz will most likely find more NFL work. For Paul Kruger, he wasn’t all too thrilled about being set free by Cleveland.

Kruger expressed his belief that he was “miss handled” and that the decision to cut him was wrong. After being drafted by Baltimore and developing as a player there, Cleveland decided to sign away the edge rusher from their division rival. Although Kruger found his way to 11 sacks in 2014, he never made much noise as a Brown. Those in need of a pass rusher could give him a call.