Early Friday morning, tackle Austin Howard took to Instagram to announce that he is being cut by the Raiders. Howard’s release comes midway through a five-year, $30MM contract signed in 2014. 
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The Raiders signed Howard to that sizable free agent deal when he was just 26 and coming off of two consecutive 16-game seasons with the Jets. Unfortunately, Howard has missed eight games over the past two seasons and his play declined sharply in 2016. Howard graded out as the 52nd best tackle in the NFL out of 77 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus. On the plus side, he committed only two penalties in his eleven games that resulted in a loss of yardage.
Had Howard stayed on board, he would have been relegated to a bench spot. The Raiders project to start Marshall Newhouse at right tackle, but Vadal Alexander and fourth-round rookie David Sharpe are also competing for the job.
Howard was slated to make $4.9MM in base salary in 2017. By cutting him, the Raiders will be left with $2.4MM in dead money against the cap.
Howard was hampered by an ankle injury last year and he underwent shoulder surgery this offseason, so he may want to take some time to heal up before he signs with another club.