Bears decline option on star guard Sitton
The Chicago Bears are parting with veteran guard Josh Sitton, sources said Tuesday.
A four-time Pro Bowl lineman, the 31-year-old Sitton spent the past two seasons in Chicago after an eightyear run with Green Bay.
He signed with the Bears after the Packers released him just before the 2016 season. Sitton dealt with rib and ankle injuries last season and missed three games.
The Bears also will decline to pick up the option on linebacker Jerrell Freeman.
The 31-year-old Freeman suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in the opener last year and was suspended for violating the National Football League’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs in each of his two seasons with the Bears. The second violation resulted in a 10game suspension in late October.
Texans cut Cushing: The Houston Texans released veteran linebacker Brian Cushing.
Cushing, who was a first-round pick in 2009, is the franchise’s alltime leader in tackles with 664, but his career has been marked by two suspensions for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancers.
Cushing was suspended for the first four games of 2010 after testing positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the league’s banned substance list.
Cushing had won 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year, an honor which was jeopardized by the suspension. He kept the award after a revote by The Associated Press’ awards panel.
His second suspension came in September and cost him 10 games. He appeared in five games last season and finished with 16 tackles and 11⁄2 sacks.
Martin gets released: Two-time Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who may look for a replacement in free agency.
Martin rushed for a career-low 406 yards in 2017, when he averaged just 2.9 yards per carry after missing the first three games of the season while serving the remainder of a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.
The release comes less than two years after Martin signed a five-year, $35.75 million contract that would have paid him $6.75 million in 2018.
The 29-year-old Martin was a first-round draft pick out of Boise State in 2012.