AP

The solace for guys getting cut this time of year is, it gives them a head start on free agency.

Of course, Erin Henderson also made the Vikings’ decision easy for them.

The team announced they had released the veteran linebacker Friday.

They cleared $2.1 million worth of cap space with the move, but it was likely inevitable after his second suspicion of DUI arrest in January. He had been stopped on similar charges in November.

While the 27-year-old Henderson was a full-time player in the middle and on the weakside, his status wasn’t certain before the arrests. And with a new coach coming on board, he was very expendable, if only to provide a lesson to others.