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Dolphins To Cut DE Mario Williams In Offseason

JT BlockCBS Miami: Twitter | Facebook

Mario Williams' days as a Miami Dolphin have come to an end.

According to a report from the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero, the Dolphins have decided to release the 31-year-old defensive end in the near future.

Reports have stated that Williams' official release will definitely be done before the fifth day of the upcoming National Football League year – which begins in March – so as the team wouldn't have to pay him $3.5 million of his $8.485 million base salary.

Williams, a former No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Texans in 2006, saw his performance wane as the season progressed which also led to a waning in his playing time – culminating in him being a healthy scratch for Miami's regular season finale this past Sunday.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Williams was supposed to complement defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Cam Wake to create a dominant defensive front for the Fins, but he never lived up to those expectations. Williams was a starter for through the first month of the season but eventually lost his starting spot after

Williams was a starter on the defensive line for the first five games of the season, but finished the year with just 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks and was eventually phased out of the starting lineup – and the team's long-term plans.

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