According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter the Chargers will be moving on from former first round draft pick DJ Fluker.
Chargers releasing former first-round draft choice D.J. Fluker, per source. One more good OL added to free-agent crop. Plays T/G.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2017
Fluker was scheduled to earn $8.821 million, all of which would become fully guaranteed on March 9. There is no dead money associated with the cut so this move will basically double the cap starved Chargers cap space for the offseason.
Fluker really failed to work out for the Chargers at either tackle or guard and there was little chance they could keep him at this salary for the season. He was number 4 on our list of potential cuts along the interior offensive line so this is no surprise.
Given his status as a first round draft pick he should land somewhere as a bit of a reclamation project maybe in the $3 million range. It’s a bit surprising that the Chargers, given their offensive line problems, were not able to find a way to reduce his salary and keep him on the team for the year. Sometimes this is where these high priced salaries, especially for younger players with upside, can cause some issues in a renegotiation. That may not have been the case here and they just want a fresh start, but the fact that they waited this long would make me think that they at least tried something,
The Chargers should now have around $13 million in cap space to work with and some more cuts, probably on the line, to come.