*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***

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Feb 06, 1996: -- Clark and Weidner Cut --

The Dolphins announced yesterday that they have cut veteran wide receiver Gary Clark and offensive lineman Bert Weidner. This move was made in order to free up money under the salary cap. Clark was scheduled to make $835,000 in 1996 and Weidner would have made $1,052,000.

In contrast, offensive guard Chris Gray, who started ahead of Weidner this season, will make only $402,300 in 1996. As far as Gary Clark is concerned, OJ McDuffie will only make $810,000 in 1996 and was far more effective that Clark last year, catching 62 passes for 819 yards and 8 touchdowns.

To take their place on the roster, the Dolphins signed safety Chico Nelson and tight end Joe Planansky off the practice squad, presumably for minimum salaries.

During the 1995 season, Gary Clark caught 37 passes for 525 yards and 2 touchdowns. This puts him 7th on the Dolphins' roster in number of catches and 4th in number of receiving yards.

Weidner was injured much of the season and even though he was the starting right guard in 1994, he only started one game for the Dolphins in 95.

My Comments:

The cutting of Weidner was essentially a no-brainer, as he is not worth over $1 million. Clark is little tougher, but despite a lot of attention in workouts and the pre-season, Clark and Marino never quite got in sync during the regular season.