Spencer Long has been released by the Jets

Interior offensive lineman Spencer Long has been released by the Jets. The team announced the news on its Twitter account.

The deadline for making a decision was tomorrow. If Long remained on the team, he would have been guaranteed $3 million. By cutting him, the Jets save $6.5 million against the salary cap and are left with no dead money.

The Jets signed Long from Washington last season looking to upgrade from Wesley Johnson. They did not. Long’s one season with the Jets was catastrophic. Long couldn’t consistently execute shotgun snaps, which forced the team to move him to guard during the season. Meanwhile his blocking was horribly ineffective at both guard and center.

Long was dealing with injuries to a knee and a finger for much of the year. We can’t say for sure how much those impacted his play. This decision suggests the Jets don’t believe the injuries had a major effect.

This decision was a true no brainer. The Jets could sign a free agent off the street and get play as effective as Long provided in 2018. The only good part of the contract the Jets gave Long was a structure that leaves no dead money for a release after the first year. This was the last day for the Jets to take advantage of that contract structure.