3:02pm: Washington has officially released Porter, the team announced today in a press release.
10:22am: Releasing Chris Chester won’t be the only roster move Washington makes today, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is also cutting ties with veteran cornerback Tracy Porter. Like Chester, Porter had one season remaining on his contract with the team, so he’ll hit the open market a year early.
Porter, 28, was a full-time starter at cornerback for the Raiders in 2013, and signed a two-year, $6MM deal in free agency last year with Washington, but saw his role reduced significantly in 2014. Before he landed on the injured reserve list in November, ending his season, Porter only played 89 snaps for Washington, finding himself buried on the depth chart behind Bashaud Breeland, E.J. Biggers, David Amerson, and others for a good chunk of 2014.
Porter’s reduced role and his health problems make the decision to release him an unsurprising one, particularly with his cap number on the rise this year. The former second-round pick would have earned a $2.25MM base salary and up to $250K in per-game roster bonuses if he had remained with the team. Instead, he’ll count for just $1MM in dead money on Washington’s books.