San Diego Chargers released Nick Novak, a 2012 draft pick and reduced their roster to 53 players

The San Diego Chargers cut their roster down to 53 guys yesterday. Jacques Cesaire, Anthony Davis, Mario Henderson, Jacob Hester, Nick Novak, Edwin Baker, Colin Baxter, Bront Bird and Charlie Bryant were released.

Ricky Elmore, Daryl Gamble, Gregory Gatson, Logan Harrell, Arthur Hobbs, Jarrett Lee, Robert Malone, DeAndre Presley, Damik Scafe, Stephen Schilling, Kory Sperry and Mike Willie were also released.

Cesaire spent nine seasons with the Chargers from 2003-2011 with his best season coming in 2006 when he started 10 games and recorded four sacks.  Cesaire started in all 13 games that he appeared in during the 2009 NFL season while he started in all 16 games for San Diego in 2010.

Novak was the team’s primary kicker in 2011 when Nate Kaeding went down with an ACL tear in the first game. Novak converted 79 percent of his field goals last season which ranked 24th in the NFL among all kickers.

Kaeding is the most accurate kicker in NFL history with a career field goal percentage of 86.5 and his worst season was 80 percent which was also Novak’s best season.  Novak’s most costly miss of the season came against the Denver Broncos in overtime which was a San Diego loss.

Baxter played three games with the New York Jets and four games with San Diego last year.  Baxter was the backup to starting center Nick Hardwick during the 2011 season.

Baker was a seventh round pick for San Diego in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Baker spent his collegiate career with the Michigan State Spartans. Baker had 462 rushing attempts, 2,293 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns with the Spartans.

I think the release of Novak was surprising in a sense that Kaeding is the only kicker on San Diego’s current roster. However, Novak was owed $700,000 in 2012 which ranked 25th among all kickers in salary and San Diego might be able to find a cheaper or better backup for Kaeding during the 2012 season.