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The Buffalo Bills on Wednesday announced that the team had released veteran defensive lineman Marcus Stroud.
Acquired by the Bills via a trade with Jacksonville prior to the 2008 season, Stroud appeared in 46 games with Buffalo, recording 150 tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in that time frame. Stroud, 33 in June, agreed to a four-year, $28 million extension with the Bills less than two years ago, and was due to make $4.5 million in the 2011 season. That contract may ultimately be viewed as one of the most misguided deals in the history of this franchise.
Stroud's play declined throughout the 2008 season, then again in 2009, and then dramatically in 2010, when the Bills switched to a base 3-4 defense. Alex Carrington, a third-round pick in 2010, is the immediate beneficiary of Stroud's release, as he can now be penciled in as a starting defensive end alongside veteran Dwan Edwards.