Days after being reinstated by the NFL following a one-season suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy, the Washington Commanders have released defensive end Shaka Toney.
The team announced the news with a short statement on social media, simply saying, “We have released THE Shaka Toney.”
We released THE Shaka Toney
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 22, 2024
Five players were reinstated by the league last week, but Toney was the only one still under contract with his team when his indefinite suspension was lifted. The other four were released after their sentences were originally announced.
Toney, 26, was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He played in 26 games over two seasons with the Commanders, recording 16 tackles, three quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks.
However, Toney was well down the depth chart at defensive end. The Commanders signed Dorance Armstrong and Clelin Farrell in free agency, and re-signed Efe Obada to bolster a unit that already consisted of Dante Fowler Jr., KJ Henry and Jalen Harris.
The defensive end would be entering the third year of the four-year, $3.6 million deal he signed as a rookie. According to Spotrac, he would have been paid $1.06 million in each of the next two seasons.
