Buffalo Bills Release Marcus Stroud

The Buffalo Bills announced on their web site that the team released defensive end Marcus Stroud Wednesday.

Stroud had just finished his 10th season in the NFL and still had two more years left on his contract with the Bills.

The move will ensure that more playing time will go to players like Alex Carrington and Torell Troup, who just finished their rookie seasons last year. Another veteran who appears poised to get more snaps next season is Spencer Johnson.

There is also the strong prospect of the Bills adding a defensive end in the draft, since this draft class is very deep at the defensive end position.

The Bills carved out some additional salary cap room with the move, as Stroud was due to earn a base salary of $4.5 million in 2011. His production had started to tail off noticeably as the season wore on, so there was much speculation that Stroud would not be part of the Bills going forward.

Speculation became reality on Wednesday.

Marcus Stroud Had A Solid Career

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ORCHARD PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Chris Kelsay #90 and Marcus Stroud #99 of the Buffalo Bills try to block a field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 28, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. Pittsburgh won 19-16 in overtim

Marcus Stroud was a first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2001, as he was the 13th overall pick of the draft. Stroud played his first seven seasons with the Jaguars and his final three years in a Bills uniform.

During his career with the Jaguars, Stroud recorded 22 sacks. While with the Bills, he was credited with 7.5 sacks.

Stroud was named First Team All-Pro in 2005 and was Second Team All-Pro in 2003. He was named to the Pro Bowl three straight years from 2003-2005. All of his awards came while he was a member of the Jaguars.

Stroud Was a Victim Of The New Bills Defense

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 13: Defensive tackle Marcus Stroud #99 of the Buffalo Bills grabs the jersey of running back Jamaal Charles #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 13, 2009 Kansas City, Missouri. The Bills defeated the C

The wear and tear of a 10-year NFL career seemed to catch up to Stroud this past season.

He was seen trying to keep up with younger and faster players in the run game, and it figured that he would struggle even more as he got older. The switch from the 4-3 defensive scheme to the 3-4 scheme forced him to move from tackle to end.

Stroud did what he was capable of doing, as he came to camp smaller and leaner due to working out in the offseason to come in to training camp as agile as he could be.

But it proved to be more of a challenge than he was ready for.

The Bills' release of Stroud confirms that this is one step towards repairing the Bills' problems on the defensive side of the ball.

Marcus Stroud Was Beloved By His Teammates and In The Buffalo Community

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CINCINNATI - NOVEMBER 21: Marcus Stroud #99 and Shawn Nelson #89 of the Buffalo Bills celebrate during NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bills won 49-21. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Gett

Marcus Stroud was respected in the locker room. Torell Troup thanked him on his twitter account today, because Stroud had been helping him all season long in learning the tricks of the trade.

Stroud had a popular weekly segment on BuffaloBills.com, where he answered questions in a segment called Marcus' Mailbag. It was a popular piece every week, and it demonstrated how his presence in the locker room contributed to the Bills' team chemistry.

In addition, Stroud was involved in the local Buffalo community, speaking at schools and holding a bowling tournament for charity. His easy smile and personality will be missed by the Bills organization and fans.

Who Will Replace Marcus Stroud In The 3-4?

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MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 29:Defensive lineman Cameron Jordan #97 of the North Team during the Under Armour Senior Bowl on January 29, 2011 at Ladd-Pebbles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images for Under Armour)

Trying to speculate on who the Bills might be considering to draft as a potential Marcus Stroud replacement brings to light the upcoming draft prospects that will be invading the Indianapolis Scouting Combines next week.

In the deep defensive line class, there are three names that surfaced that were supposed to be ideally suited for a 3-4 defensive scheme. They are J.J. Watt (Wisconsin), Cameron Jordan (pictured,  California) and Cameron Heyward (Ohio State).

Of the three, the Bills got an up-close look at Jordan at the Senior Bowl. All three could be first-round draft picks, but Heyward could conceivably slip to the second round due to injuries he suffered in his senior year. The injury forced him to miss the Senior Bowl.

If Heyward were to fall to the Bills in the second round, that would be a very tempting selection.

For Marcus Stroud, there is no word yet if he will continue to try to continue his playing career or if he will hang up the spikes. Bills fans can only wish Marcus Stroud good luck and a long life and thank him for the contributions he made to the team over the past three seasons.