AP

Players released now get a bit of a jump on free agency, and the Jaguars have held the door open for one of their starters.

According to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, the Jaguars have released starting guard Uche Nwaneri.

Nwaneri has dealt with knee issues in the past, but he played all 16 games last year.

He was scheduled to make $3.775 million this year, plus a $1 million roster bonus, so the Jaguars are saving some cap room with the move. But they’re among the league leaders in cap space (more than $60 million), so it’s hard to sell that as the reason.

He’ll turn 30 later this month, and should be able to find work if he can prove himself well.