The Bills announced a list of cuts on Monday morning, including a very surprising decision to release veteran running back Fred Jackson.
Jackson has spent his entire NFL career playing for the Bills and GM Doug Whaley lamented the "difficult decision" in a statement released by the team.
“Today, we had to make the difficult decision to release Fred Jackson. He had an incredible career for this organization for the past 10 years. We thank Fred for his hard work, dedication and leadership during his tenure with the Buffalo Bills," Whaley said. "Fred has inspired the city of Buffalo in a number of ways. Fred and his family have been dedicated to this community and we can’t thank them enough for their contributions through his career."
Jackson is an anomaly in the modern-day NFL, a running back who has been productive past the age of 30.
The 33-year-old Jackson hasn't topped his 2009 season, but he's also been consistently faced with early draft picks or trade targets moving ahead of him on the depth chart by default. First there was Marshawn Lynch, then there was C.J. Spiller and now LeSean McCoy, who was acquired by the Bills in a trade with the Eagles.
Jackson averaged 4.4 yards per carry over the past eight years and, despite his age, should find work somewhere. There are issues with running games all over the NFL and a veteran like Jackson would make sense for a number of teams.
If you're drafting your fantasy league soon (or already drafted), Jackson could throw a wrench in some plans.
The Cowboys with their offensive line and lack of star power in the backfield would be fascinating. The Patriots love veterans. The Titans aren't loaded and the Browns are interested in another back with Duke Johnson dealing with a concussion.
For the Bills, Karlos Williams appears to be a clear-cut backup for Shady with Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon lingering as well.
The Bills also released DE Michael Buchanan, cornerback Ross Cockrell, defensive tackle Justin Hamilton, linebacker Andrew Hudson, tackle Terren Jones, cornerback Ellis Lankster, safety Kenny Ladler, safety Wes Miller, guard DJ Morrell, defensive end Cedric Reed and running back Ricky Seale.