Justin Houston on Sunday after they were unable to drum up enough trade interest Reggie Ragland Jersey , ending the tenure of one of the best pass rushers in club history.The Chiefs had made it clear they would trade or release Houston this offseason, primarily because of his cost. He was due $15.25 million and carried a salary cap hit of $21.1 million, numbers that would have made it nearly impossible to make other much-needed upgrades to their defense.The move means the Chiefs will free up $14 million and make the four-time Pro Bowl selection a free agent when the period begins Wednesday. The Chiefs will also take on $7.1 million in dead money.“Justin has made a lasting impact on this franchise and I can’t thank him enough for his contributions over the years,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in a statement.“These decisions are never easy,” Veach said. “I have a great deal of respect for Justin as a player and person and I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”The 30-year-old Houston was a third-round pick of the Chiefs out of Georgia who quickly became a fan-favorite, not to mention one of the team’s most visible leaders. He wound up starting 96 of the 102 games he appeared in over eight seasons, and his best season came in 2014, when Houston shattered the franchise record with 22 sacks and was voted a first-team All-Pro.He parlayed that season into a $101 million, six-year deal in 2015 that was at the time a record for a defensive player. But he has been slowed by injuries the past four seasons, and despite continuing to pile up sacks, Houston has been unable to keep up the pace that landed him the lucrative deal.As the Chiefs try to rebuild one of the league’s worst defenses, and provide some help to one of the NFL’s best offenses, it became apparent that Houston’s days in Kansas City were numbered.“Over the last eight seasons we’ve had the ability to watch Justin grow into a leader on and off the playing field,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said. “His passion helped him become one the most successful pass rushers in franchise history. We appreciate his contributions to our team and community.”Houston departs Kansas City with 78 1/2 sacks, trailing only Derrick Thomas (126 1/2), former teammate Tamba Hali (89 1/2) and Neil Smith (85 1/2) for the most in franchise history.He should have no shortage of suitors after seasons of 9 1/2 sacks two years ago and nine more last season http://www.chiefslockerroom.com/authentic-spencer-ware-jersey , provided he convince a club that he can remain healthy. Houston has experienced with elbow and knee injuries that have allowed him to play 16 games in a season just twice.The Chiefs used their franchise tag on fellow pass rusher Dee Ford, though it’s possible they could still trade him. Other premier edge rushers that were franchised include DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney and Frank Clark, and that could create a more robust market for Houston.Working against him is the fact pass rusher may be the most stacked part of April’s draft.“You can never have enough of that,” Veach said. “It’s a really intriguing class. I think it’s been mentioned multiple times throughout the first few days, the defensive line this year is really deep. There are a lot of players, pass-rushers, interior pass-rushers, run players, there’s a lot of depth at that position. I certainly think there will be a lot of names from those defensive players called early on.” Mitchell Schwartz was chosen by Cleveland in the second round of the 2012 draft with the idea he could be the next Joe Thomas, or at the very least learn from the Browns' star offensive tackle.Well, he did learn a lot of lessons. The biggest may have been durability.Thomas once played 10,363 consecutive snaps over the span of 11 seasons before hurting his left arm in a game against Tennessee. The streak that began with Week 1 of his rookie year and survived a slew of injuries, including torn and strained knee ligaments and multiple high ankle sprains.Schwartz, who returns to Cleveland for the first time on the opposing sideline Sunday, has his own incredible streak going now that he's with the Kansas City Chiefs.After playing every snap his first four seasons with the Browns Womens Carlos Hyde Jersey , and continuing it during the past two-plus seasons in Kansas City, the snap count is up to 6,870 over the course of 104 games."He's done a heck of a job being able to endure," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "He had a good teacher he learned from, too, in Thomas. He had a nice streak going before he got hurt. Mitch has been tremendous. He's one of the smartest linemen I've ever been around."Schwartz filled a massive need when the Chiefs signed him to a $33 million, five-year deal, and he has met all expectations. Not only did he help protect Alex Smith during some of his best years, and is now keeping young quarterback Patrick Mahomes clean during his breakout season, Schwartz also paved the way for Kareem Hunt to win last year's NFL rushing title as a rookie.So far, the Chiefs have allowed just 10 sacks 鈥?one behind the New Orleans Saints for the fewest in the league 鈥?while leading the NFL in scoring and a number of other offensive categories. Delving deeper into the numbers, the Chiefs have a league-high 13 carries of at least 10 yards while running behind Schwartz on the right side of the offensive line.In other words, the soft-spoken Schwartz is a big reason why Mahomes leads the NFL in yards passing and Hunt is fourth in the league in yards rushing."Those two tackles are really good players, Schwartz and (left tackle Eric) Fisher. They're the best we've played since I've been here," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. "They've blocked us one-on-one from time to time and they win a lot against us."That may be the most incredible part of Schwartz's success rate: It has come against some of the best pass rushers in the NFL, including Broncos linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.Elsewhere in the AFC West Demarcus Robinson Jersey , he has to deal with the Chargers' Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, and until this past offseason, Raiders star Khalil Mack and his teammate Bruce Irvin."I've been very blessed and fortunate to play and coach with a number of offensive linemen, and those guys never get the credit that they deserve," Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. "They get all the negative flack when they give up a sack or something, but those guys are the ultimate team players because they are going to do whatever it takes to win."Even if it means playing through bumps and bruises to keep a consecutive snaps streak going.Schwartz acknowledged this week that it will be odd returning to Cleveland, where he learned from one of the best offensive tackles to ever play the game. He has good memories from playing with the Browns, even if they never won enough, and he's looking forward to seeing some old friends.Once the game begins, though, Schwartz is only worried about helping Kansas City keep winning."We just keep trusting. No one gets upset, starts screaming or any of that stuff," Schwartz said. "We're a pretty good offense and if we go out there and do our jobs, it's pretty hard to stop us."Notes: Strong safety Eric Berry (heel), C Mitch Morse (concussion) and LB Frank Zombo (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. LBs Justin Houston (hamstring) and Anthony Hitchens (ribs) were limited.