The Los Angeles Chargers are preparing to go shopping in the NFL free agency market. The problem is that the Chargers don’t have a lot of money to go shopping with, in fact they had just $5 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com.
Today, the Chargers made some moves to get a little bit more cap flexibility and it involves some big names.
Former 1st round draft pick D.J. Fluker, cornerback Brandon Flowers and wide receiver Stevie Johnson have all been released today, the team announced.
Fluker’s release frees up $8.821 that was due to the lineman, Flowers saves around $7 million and the cutting of Johnson freed up another $3.5 million.
“Parting ways with men I’ve gotten to know and respect is the toughest part of this job,” general manager Tom Telesco said in a statement.
“Few players have shown the amount of passion and dedication that D.J. has shown for us the last four years. D.J. was the ultimate teammate who gave every ounce of effort he had to help our team. I will have great memories of D.J.’s time with the Chargers and wish him the best of luck with his career. And I want to thank Brandon for his contributions and his professionalism throughout his three years with us. I wish D.J., Brandon, Stevie and their families all the best in the future.”
Drafted as a right tackle, Fluker, 25, played the last 2 seasons at guard and finished his 2016 as the league’s 54th-ranked player at his position, according to Pro Football Focus. Fluker was drafted 11th overall in the 2013 NFL draft. Fluker hasn’t lived up to his high draft position but his 6-foot-5 and 339 pound frame will intrigue teams looking to bolster their run game.
Flowers was the Chargers’ big free agent signing in 2014 and although he played well he was limited to just 6 games this past season due to injury. Johnson missed all of the 2016 season following meniscus surgery.