Bills Release Dockery and Royal

The Buffalo Bills have released LG Derrick Dockery and TE Robert Royal.

Releasing Dockery and Royal frees up a total of about $8 million in salary cap space for the Bills, who have missed the playoffs for nine consecutive years, the worst streak in franchise history.

"These business decisions are never easy, especially when you are talking about two great individuals in both Derrick and Robert," Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon said in a statement. "We wish them the best of luck in the future."

Dockery a virtual nobody in the NFL until the Bills signed him to a seven-year $49 million deal on the first day of free agency in March 2007, was scheduled to make $21.75 million over the final five years of his contract, not including incentives.

Royal, a seven year veteran and was released after spending three years with the Bills. He was scheduled to make just under $3 million over the final two years of his contract.