Bengals release veteran OL Mike Pollak

The Bengals released veteran offensive lineman Mike Pollak on Friday. The 30-year-old reserve interior lineman spent the past two seasons with Cincinnati and started six games as an injury replacement at guard last year.

Pollak signed a two-year contract last offseason and the move saves the Bengals $1,108,332 against this year's salary cap and creating $333,334 in dead money. He's played in 84 games with 53 starts including postseason during his seven-year career.

The move doesn't come as a complete surprise with the Bengals expected to supplement offensive line depth with youth in the draft this year. Also, Pollak has battled a chronic knee problem in recent years and didn't complete a full week of practices at all last season as coaches attempted to keep his knee fresh.

This adds to the questions on the structure of the line. Starting guard Clint Boling is an unrestricted free agent. He's expressed a desire to return to the Bengals the team also spoke about wanting him to return. The guard would be one of the most sought after of the Bengals unrestricted free agents.

This marked the first of the Bengals roster cuts this offseason. More are expected to come as the free agency period draws closer. Teams are allowed to begin negotiations with other team's players beginning March 7 and sign March 10.

Another veteran candidate to be released is defensive end Robert Geathers, who would save $3.1 million against cap.