The Denver Broncos have released All-Pro safety T.J. Ward, a member of their vaunted Super Bowl-winning defense, after three seasons with the team. Earlier, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network Insider first reported that Ward was cut by the Broncos.

Ward later confirmed to Troy Renck of Denver 7 that he’s been released. Before his release, the 30-year-old Ward was due a non-guaranteed $4.5 million in the final year of his deal.

According to general manager John Elway, releasing Ward as a difficult decision for the team due to his immense contribution to the team. “He was a respected teammate whose attitude and physical mindset played a big part in our Super Bowl run,” said Elway. Ward later thanked the Broncos on his Twitter account.

Several weeks ago, it was reported that the Broncos were planning to part ways with Ward, who suffered hamstring issues during camp and was overshadowed by second-year defender Justin Simmons. The Broncos even tried to trade Ward, but there were no takers. Last season, Ward tallied 87 tackles with one sack and one interception.

A pick by Cleveland in 2010, Ward played four seasons with the Browns before moving to the Broncos. In his career, he tallied 564 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and eight interceptions.

Bears release kicker Roberto Aguayo

According to Rapoport, the Chicago Bears have released kicker Roberto Aguayo, who was also recently released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Aguayo had a chance to win the starting job from veteran Connor Barth, but he missed a 49-yard field goal against the Arizona Cardinals and blew two extra-point opportunities in the preseason. Aguayo was a second-round pick by the Buccaneers in 2016. However, he failed to deliver on his promise, missing nine of 31 field-goal attempts and a pair of extra points.

In the summer, the Buccaneers brought in veteran Nick Folk to provide competition for Aguayo. However, the 23-year-old Aguayo never lived up to the challenge, missing several crucial kicks in the preseason, forcing the Buccaneers to cut him.

Bengals part ways with Eric Winston

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the Cincinnati Bengals have released veteran tackle and NFL Players Association president Eric Winston, who played 16 games last season. With the move, the Bengals’ offensive line will be different this season without left tackle Andrew Whitworth and guard Kevin Zeitler. The Bengals' new-look offensive line will have 2015 second-round pick Jake Fisher at right tackle and 2015 first-round pick Cedric Ogbuehi playing left tackle.
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