Report: Bills Release DT Alan Branch, Free Up $1.9M In Cap Space

Update:

Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports that the Bills have released veteran DT Alan Branch.

• The Buffalo Bills have already confirmed the news.

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Mike Rodak of ESPN.com provides a great breakdown of the financial ramifications that would come from releasing veteran DT Alan Branch.

In case you missed it, Bills HC Doug Marrone told reporters that the reason Branch was held out of Saturday’s preseason game was because he was recently arrested for a DUI.

There has been speculation that Branch could be on the roster bubble for a few weeks now as he has put together a poor training camp which included a failed conditioning test.

Buffalo signed Branch to a three-year extension worth $8.5 million back in December of last year.

Despite the extension, Rodak mentions that the Bills could free up $1.9 million in available cap space by releasing Branch.

There are some negatives to take into consideration such as throwing away the $3.1 million signing bonus they paid him in December and creating $1.55 million in dead money for the 2015 season.

However, Rodak writes that beyond that, there really isn’t that much of a downside from a financial standpoint should the Bills elect to part ways with the struggling defensive lineman.

Branch, 29, appeared in all 16 games last seasona and recorded 39 tackles.