Steelers releasing veteran LB Vince Williams

The Steelers are staying busy on Tuesday, releasing a longtime defensive player. Pittsburgh is cutting linebacker Vince Williams, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

As Fowler notes, the move will save the Steelers about $4M in cap space. They drafted Williams in the sixth round back in 2013, and he spent the past eight seasons with the team. In August of 2018 he signed a three-year extension worth $18.6M. Not bad for a former 206th overall pick.

Williams was a part-time player earlier in his career but has been a starter the past four seasons. This past year he appeared in 14 games, all starts, racking up 70 tackles, 14 for a loss and three sacks. In 2017 he had eight sacks despite being an inside linebacker.

The Florida State product will now hit free agency for the first time at the age of 31. He should get picked up by a team in need of linebacking help before too long.