Bills release ex-Coug Lindell

NFL: The Buffalo Bills have released longtime kicker Rian Lindell.

The 36-year-old former Washington State Cougar spent the last 10 years in Buffalo and is the most accurate kicker in Bills history with a field goal percentage of 83.3 percent.

The release means that rookie Dustin Hopkins has won Buffalo’s kicking competition. Hopkins, chosen 177th overall, has displayed a much stronger leg than Lindell throughout training camp.

Lindell’s time in Buffalo had appeared to be coming to an end. The Bills have drafted kickers in each of the past two drafts with the selections of Hopkins and former Western Michigan kicker John Potter.

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Associated Press

Seahawks swing deal with Browns

NFL: John Moffitt’s tenure in Seattle arrived at a surprising end, with the Seahawks trading the offensive lineman to Cleveland for defensive tackle Brian Sanford, pending physical examinations, the team announced on Monday.

A third-round selection in the 2011 draft by Seattle, Moffitt was considered the long-term answer at right guard. However, injuries derailed his rookie season, and he had trouble earning his job back after the impressive progress of converted defensive lineman J.R. Sweezy.

And with Seattle’s depth at guard bolstered by the steady improvement of rookies Michael Bowie and Alvin Bailey, Moffitt potentially could have been part of Seattle’s final roster cuts in two weeks.

So instead, the Seahawks took a flyer on a defensive line prospect in Sanford that could help fill out a thin position on Seattle’s depth chart.

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News Tribune of Tacoma