Buffalo continued its cost cutting measures to put them in a more favorable salary cap situation on Friday. The Bills released veteran CB Leodis McKelvin, which frees up almost $4M in cap space.
McKelvin, 30, a former first-round pick of the Bills in 2008, was an accomplished punt returner early in his career and grew each season as a cornerback. With the emergence of Ronald Darby in 2015 however, Buffalo saw the veteran McKelvin as expendable.
His best season came in 2013 when in 15 games McKelvin led the team in pass breakups with 20 and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 71. Injuries over the last few seasons compromised his availability. In 2014 and 2015, McKelvin appeared in 19 of a possible 32 games.
The Bills still have respectable depth at cornerback with Mario Butler emerging as a more than capable backup to starters Darby and Stephon Gilmore in 2015. Buffalo also signed CB Javier Arenas as a future free agent early in the offseason.
