Cornerback Amerson cut; $5.5 million payout avoided
The Raiders began reshaping their roster on the first day of the NFL’s offseason Monday, releasing cornerback David Amerson.
Amerson, 26, was due to earn a base salary of $5.5 million in 2018 that would have become guaranteed Wednesday, according to Pro Football Talk.
The Raiders claimed Amerson off waivers in September 2015, a day after he was released by Washington. He was signed to a four-year extension before the 2016 season and started 15 games that season, but was limited by injuries to six starts in 2017.
Amerson sat out Week 5 against Baltimore with a concussion and then missed the final nine games of the season with a foot injury. He expressed hope for a potential return late in the season and was regularly seen working off to the side with trainers during practice but remained inactive on game days.
Amerson had 18 tackles and four pass breakups in his fifth NFL season.
His absence hurt a Raiders secondary that also dealt with injuries to top draft picks Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu and overall inconsistent play. Cornerback Sean Smith, who was expected to start alongside Amerson last season, is also a candidate to be released, given his nonguaranteed $8.25 million base salary for 2018 and ongoing legal troubles; he faces felony assault and battery charges in relation to an alleged incident with his sister’s boyfriend July 4. Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mkawahara@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @matthewkawahara