The Shawne Merriman experiment is over. On Monday morning, the Bills released the defensive end after parts of three seasons with the organization. At the beginning of training camp, Chan Gailey was optimistic that Merriman would return to his old form. But after watching him record just three tackles through the first two preseason games, the Bills ran out of patience.

The Bills claimed Merriman, 28, off waivers late in the 2010 season. He left San Diego because of an achilles injury. Early in his first practice with the Bills, that injury flared up and he spent the rest of the season on injured reserve. The Bills elected to keep the experiment going in 2011, signing Merriman to a two year contract extension. He looked good at the start of the 2011 preseason, recording three tackles and two sacks in the preseason opener. But the injury trouble persisted, and Merriman was limited to just five regular season games. He had nine tackles and one sack.

2012 was supposed to be different. Merriman underwent surgery in the hopes of repairing his longtime ailment. But through OTAs and training camp, he was buried in the Bills' defensive end rotation. On Monday, the Bills decided Merriman was no longer part of the team's future plans.