KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs released starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz on Thursday as they sought to squeeze under the salary cap.

Those moves will provide another obstacle in their quest to upgrade an offensive line ransacked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs were more than $22 million over the cap of $182.5 million that was set Wednesday. The release of Fisher and Schwartz saves about $18.3 million, leaving them able to restructure other contracts – and potentially extend players – and create enough financial wiggle room to maneuver in free agency.

Fisher and Schwartz were instrumental in helping the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers for their first Super Bowl title in 50 years. They also played a big part in helping them return to the big game, though both ultimately missed it with injuries.

Fisher tore his Achilles tendon in the AFC title game and Schwartz missed half the season with a back injury.

Both of them underwent surgery and while general manager Brett Veach said recently that they could be back by the start of the season, the cost of keeping them on the roster coupled with the uncertainty of their recovery made them natural cuts.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for both Eric and Mitchell,” Veach said in a statement. ”With Eric, obviously he was the very first player we drafted when we got to Kansas City, and we were able to watch him grow into a solid tackle for us for many years. With Mitchell, his durability and toughness is remarkable and he certainly left his mark on our team. These decisions are never easy, especially with guys like these, but both of these players will forever be a part of our history.”

The Chiefs selected the 30-year-old Fisher first overall in the 2013 draft, shortly after Coach Andy Reid was hired and Veach arrived on then-GM John Dorsey’s staff. His rookie season was a bit shaky, but Fisher developed into one of the league’s best left tackles, earning nods to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and last season.

The Chiefs signed the 31-year-old Schwartz in 2016 to bookend with Fisher on a revamped offensive line. He was voted an All-Pro in 2018 and proved to be among the most durable right tackles in the game, starting 134 consecutive games dating to his days with the Cleveland Browns before his back injury occurred in Week 6 against Buffalo.

DOLPHINS: Miami Coach Brian Flores said he’s excited about grooming Tua Tagovailoa this offseason to make a big leap in Year 2 as an NFL quarterback.

Left unsaid was how Flores would feel about coaching Deshaun Watson instead. The Dolphins are widely expected to pursue Watson, the Houston Texans’ disgruntled two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, if he becomes available this spring. Watson has requested a trade but is not yet on the market, and competition for him would be stiff.

And so, when asked about the Watson speculation, Flores said he remains all in on Tagovailoa.

“I’m excited to work with Tua,” Flores said. “That’s where my interests are. He’s a talented player, and we here believe in developing players.

“Tua and I had lunch yesterday – a lot of that development is about building relationships. He’s confident; I’m confident in him.”

Tagovailoa has said his rookie season wasn’t up to his standards after Miami made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Coming off major hip surgery, he started nine games and ranked 30th in the NFL in yards per attempt as Miami went 10-6 but missed the playoffs.

“We threw him in the fire there,” Flores said. “I’m excited about that year-one to year-two jump, and him being more comfortable. An offseason is really going to be helpful to him.”

Flores said Tagovailoa’s development was a factor in the choice of replacements for offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who departed after one season. Eric Studesville and George Godsey were promoted as co-coordinators from other positions on the staff.

STEELERS: Ray-Ray McLoud’s solid season with Pittsburgh earned the wide receiver/returner a second stint with the team. The Steelers signed McCloud to a one-year deal on Thursday. He had been a restricted free agent.

McCloud joined Pittsburgh last summer and made a strong push to secure a roster spot after becoming a difference maker on special teams. McCloud averaged 10.3 yards per punt return and 23.1 yards per kickoff return. He also caught 20 passes for 77 yards — most of them quick screens — and ran for 65 yards on four carries.

TEXANS: Coach David Culley reiterated that the team has no intention of trading Deshaun Watson despite the star quarterback’s request to be dealt.

Culley, hired in January to replace Bill O’Brien, was asked more than a half-dozen times about Watson’s future with the team. Every time he made it clear he expects Watson to lead his team this season.

“We are very committed to Deshaun as our quarterback,” Culley said. “He is our quarterback. He’s the only guy we got under contract at this time right now.”

Culley said he has spoken to Watson since taking that job but declined to give any details.

Later he was asked whether he has tried to talk Watson into wanting to remain with the team.

“It’s not a matter of me trying to change anybody’s mind,” he said. “As I said before, right now we’re committed to him. He’s a Houston Texan and we’re going to move forward with that.”

Watson, who led the NFL in yards passing last season, has been unhappy with the direction of the team for some time. He made his request to be traded not long after the season ended. Sports Illustrated reported in January that Watson was upset the Texans didn’t initially request to interview Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their coaching vacancy. They eventually did interview Bieniemy before hiring Culley.

• Running back Mark Ingram has agreed to a one-year contract with the Texans, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

The addition of Ingram gives Houston’s running game a much-needed boost after the Texans averaged the second-fewest yards rushing a game last season that included a weak year from David Johnson.

Ingram, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2009, spent the last two seasons with the Ravens.

FALCONS: The Atlanta Falcons re-signed place-kicker Younghoe Koo and three other exclusive rights free agents.

The Falcons also announced they have re-signed cornerback Tyler Hall, wide receiver Christian Blake and defensive end Jacob Tuioti-Mariner.

SAINTS: The New Orleans Saints released starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins in yet another roster moved aimed at helping the club get below this season’s $182.5 million NFL salary cap for the 2021 season.

Cutting Jenkins will lower New Orleans’ salary-cap figure by about $7 million. The Saints still needed to eliminate about $25 million in payroll by the time the new league year starts on Wednesday.

PANTHERS: Thomas Davis and Greg Olsen, two beloved NFL players who developed into iconic figures in the Charlotte community, officially retired together as members of the Carolina Panthers.

Davis and Olsen signed one-day contracts with Carolina and were honored jointly during a 90-minute virtual ceremony at Bank of America Stadium that was broadcast live on the team’s website.

Davis spent 14 of his 16 NFL seasons with the Panthers and is the team’s franchise leader in tackles with 1,258. Olsen spent nine of his 14 seasons in Carolina, finishing with 742 receptions for 8,683 yards, both fifth most in NFL history among tight ends.

BILLS: The Buffalo Bills re-signed linebacker Matt Milano to a four-year contract, less than a week before the starter was eligible to become a free agent.

The signing comes a day after the Bills freed up more than $14.4 million in space under the salary cap by releasing receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson.

JETS: The New York Jets announced the creation of an Athletic Care and Performance Department that will focus on improving the players’ overall health, nutrition and training after injuries plagued the team the last few seasons.

Dr. Brad DeWeese will oversee the new department, which the team said in a release will help “align the club’s athletic performance staffs to better position players for success.”

DeWeese was most recently the assistant athletic director for sports performance at East Tennessee State. He was also the head of sports physiology at the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Winter Division, helping athletes win 21 Olympic and world championship medals.

The Jets also announced the hirings of Mike Nicolini as the head strength and conditioning coach; Dr. Omar Ahmad as assistant strength and conditioning coach; Dr. Matt Sams as director of sports science; and Dr. Robert Sausaman as assistant director of high performance.

New York used 80 players last season and placed 36 players on injured reserve, tied for the fifth-highest total in the NFL. The Jets’ 28 players on IR in 2019 led the league, according to Spotrac.

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Thursday’s college roundup: Michigan St. ousts No. 9 Indiana from women’s Big Ten tourney