Shane Ray is aiming to keep both his weight and his spirits up as he heads into a fourth surgery on his troublesome left wrist.

"I ain't been getting down about it. I just need to get it fixed so I can play and be 100" percent Kareem Martin Jersey Elite , Ray said Tuesday after watching his team's first minicamp practice.

Ray said he's optimistic he won't lose as much weight or strength as he did last year, when he dropped 17 pounds and essentially played one-handed for half the season before opting for a third operation in December so that he could get a jumpstart on his offseason rehab.

Ray dropped to 225 pounds last season, when he posted just 15 tackles and a single sack a year after collecting 48 tackles and eight sacks.

"I've already gotten myself up to 247, 250" pounds, Ray said. "I'm planning on being back in the weight room within two to three weeks. So, it's not like I'm going to be sidelined as long as I was last year."

Ray is also switching doctors for Thursday's operation in Houston. He hopes to return to practice by mid-August and play in the season opener against Seattle on Sept. 9.

Ray broke his left wrist at the start of training camp last year when he got tangled up with offensive lineman Menelik Watson. After surgery to repair both bones and ligaments, he missed the first six games and the final two.

With a jumpstart on his rehab, "I thought I was out in the clear" by the start of the offseason program two months ago, Ray said. "But I'd wake up every day and I'm like, 'Man, my wrist is still hurting.'"

The soreness didn't subside and swelling appeared, so he sought medical advice last week when doctors discovered an unhealed, fractured bone and recommended yet another operation.

"It's frustrating but all I can do is try to keep a positive mind," Ray said. "I'm more anxious to just get it done and over with so I can start my healing process and get back out here with my team."

The setback is bad timing for Ray Cheap Kevin Hogan Jersey , whose fifth-year option the Broncos declined to exercise last month, denying him a $9.23 million guaranteed salary in 2019. That would have surpassed the four-year, $9.18 million rookie contract he signed in 2015 after winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors at Missouri.

Moreover, the Broncos selected North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb with the fifth pick in this year's draft. Chubb lined up opposite Von Miller as both a down lineman in a 4-3 scheme and stand-up rusher in the 3-4 Tuesday.

Being sidelined for two to three months heading into a contract year isn't ideal, but "I can't let that stress me out," Ray said.

"Of course, everybody knows this is my contract year, but most importantly, I can't go ensure my next contract if I'm not healthy. I don't want to go out there like I did last year and try to force something and put bad film out there and let that be the judge of who I am as a player. Because a lot of that happened," Ray said.

"With the injury, I should have sat down. I went out and played. It wasn't good as it should have been obviously because of the injury. And I feel like a lot of people tried to use that against me. So, this time I'm going to be smart. I'm going to do the best thing for me, which is to make sure I'm 100 percent healthy. And then once I'm 100 percent healthy, I'll be able to be out here and be the player that my coaches and my teammates know I am."

The Chiefs have released one of their career sack leaders Broncos Isaac Yiadom Jersey , Tamba Hali, and veteran stalwart of their secondary, Ron Parker, moves designed to help Kansas City get younger on defense and have some financial freedom for the start of free agency.

The Chiefs parted ways with longtime linebacker Hali on Monday. The move was hardly a surprise given his decreased production.

Safety Parker, who had missed just one game over the past four seasons and provided some stability when Eric Berry was injured last season, also was waived.

Hali was due a base salary of $5,750,000 this season with a salary cap hit of more than $9 million, and his release will only cost them about $1.7 million in dead money. Parker's release saves about $5.3 million against the salary cap.

"I thank the greatest fans in the world #ChiefsKingdom for 12 incredible years," Hali posted on Twitter. "I also want to thank the @Chiefs organization for believing in me from the beginning. All the support during my career in Kansas City has been overwhelming and KC will always be special to me."

The Chiefs were strapped for cash heading into the offseason, necessitating moves on several fronts. They've already voided the contract of linebacker Derrick Johnson, their career tackles leader, to save about $8 million, and released cornerback Darrelle Revis to save $4.5 million.

They'll save some more when the new league year begins Wednesday. That's when the trade of Alex Smith Youth Trent Brown Jersey , which his salary cap number of $17 million, to the Redskins for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a draft pick, becomes official. The Chiefs will also save a bit of money when their trade of cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams for two more draft picks becomes official.

The Chiefs only rolled over about $2.6 million in salary cap space from last season, so freeing up space to address their leaky defense 鈥?and perhaps help new quarterback Patrick Mahomes II with some offensive weapons 鈥?was of paramount importance for new general manager Brett Veach.

"You look at every situation and every position group and if it makes sense from a structural standpoint, a schematic standpoint and also a cap standpoint," Veach said during last week's scouting combine in Indianapolis. "And it really is just the schematic standpoint and the cap standpoint along with the age, and if you get all those things pointing in the right direction, you go that route."

Make no mistake: The Chiefs had aged considerably on defense the past couple of years, especially in the linebacker corps, where Johnson and Hali had been the foundation for years.

Hali was the 20th overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Penn State, started every game as a rookie and never really looked back. He became a fan-favorite and went to five consecutive Pro Bowls beginning with the 2011 season, when he had 12 sacks and forced four fumbles.

He combined to add 20 more sacks over the next couple seasons, but the decline soon began for the 34-year-old pass rusher. He started just two of 16 games during the 2016 season, when knee pain caught up to him Myles Garrett Jersey Elite , and only appeared in five games last season after beginning the year on the PUP list.

When asked in January what his plans were for the future, Hali acknowledged he was "leaning more toward" retirement but wanted to leave the door open to returning for another season.

He has plenty of interests away from football, including a hip-hop recording company.

"Tamba has been a tremendous ambassador for our organization, both on and off the playing field," Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said. "His incredible work ethic and passion for the game helped make him one of the most successful pass rushers in franchise history. Tamba will always be a part of the Chiefs family, and we sincerely appreciate his contributions to the Chiefs and the Kansas City community over the last 12 seasons."

The 30-year-old Parker should have plenty of suitors in free agency. He made 279 tackles, seven sacks and picked off nine passes after finally getting his break with Kansas City.

"It was great playing in front of the fans in Arrowhead and with some of the best teammates," he said on Twitter. "Now it's time for me to move on. I look forward to this new journey and chapter."

Parker's age combined with his cost for next season ultimately forced his release.

"It's kind of today's world in the NFL," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said during the combine, when asked about their desire to get younger. "Guys change teams and move. We think we have some good young players and feel comfortable with them."

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