Dan Carpenter, Nickell Robey-Coleman among 5 players released by Bills

Veteran kicker Dan Carpenter was among five players released Monday by the Buffalo Bills in an apparent effort to create salary-cap space.

The Bills cleared about $6 million in cap space by releasing Carpenter, cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, long-snapper Garrison Sanborn, safety Phillip Thomas and tight end Gerald Christian. The Bills now have about $24 million in salary-cap space but have only 45 players under contract for 2017, the lowest total in the NFL.

Carpenter, 31, missed five extra points last season and converted only 76 percent of his field goal attempts, ranking him 32nd among 36 NFL kickers who qualified. Carpenter, who took a pay cut last offseason after a…