COSTA MESA (CNS) - Quarterback Cardale Jones was among 36 players released by the Los Angeles Chargers as they reduced their roster to the 53-player regular-season limit by the 1 p.m. deadline.
Jones was cut two days after quarterbacking the Chargers to their most productive first half of a preseason game since 2009 as he completed 10 of 16 passes for 149 yards and ran twice for 26 yards as the Chargers gained 269 yards in a 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Jones' release makes rookie Easton Stick the No. 3 quarterback behind Philip Rivers and Tyrod Taylor.
Jones never played a regular-season game after being acquired by the Chargers on July 26, 2017, from Buffalo in exchange for a conditional draft choice in a trade that also reunited him with Chargers coach Anthony Lynn.
Jones spent the 2018 season on the practice squad. The only regular- season game he played in was the 2016 finale when Lynn was the Bills interim coach.
The Chargers cut four players who played regular-season games for them in 2018 -- running back Detrez Newsome, cornerback Jeff Richards, defensive tackle T.Y. McGill and linebacker Kyle Wilson.
Three other players with NFL regular-season game experience were also cut -- safety Jaylen Watkins, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2014- 17 and suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Chargers second preseason game in 2018, defensive end Anthony Lanier II, who played 13 games for Washington from 2016-17, and receiver Malachi Dupre, who played one game with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.
The Chargers cut seven other players who were on their practice squad in 2018 -- defensive end Patrick Afriyie, guard Spencer Drango, receivers Justice Liggins and Andre Patton, tight end Vince Mayle, tackle Jamar McGloster and cornerback Arrion Springs.
Receiver Artavis Scott, who spent the 2017 season on the practice squad and 2018 on injured reserve after sustaining a leg injury in the preseason finale, was also cut.
The Chargers cut 16 undrafted rookies -- guards Larry Allen and Chris Brown, tackle Blake Camper, defensive end Thomas Costigan, running backs Jeremy Cox and Derrick Gore, cornerbacks Kemon Hall, Bradford Lemmons and Rodney Randle, defensive tackle Reggie Howard, receiver Jason Moore, punter Tyler Newsome, safety Adarius Pickett, tight end Matt Sokol, center Tanner Volson and linebacker Elijah Zeise,
Four other players with previous NFL training camp experience were also cut -- tight end Ben Johnson, defensive tackle Dee Liner, receiver Jordan Smallwood and tackle Brant Weiss.
Some players cut Saturday could be signed to the 10-player practice squad. Teams may begin signing players to practice squad contracts shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday after it is determined they cleared waivers.
NFL teams often make adjustments to the roster between the regular- season cutdown deadline and the season opener, including re-signing players who had been cut and cutting others to accommodate adding players cut by other teams.
Neither Lynn nor any of the team's executives were made available to reporters on Saturday.
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