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Dolphins Release Branden Albert And Mario Williams

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins are making a big shakeup on one of the most important areas of the offense.

The Dolphins have released left tackle Branden Albert following two seasons with the team.

The move clears the way for 2016 first round pick Laremy Tunsil to take over as Miami's left tackle of the present, and the future.

Tunsil played left guard during the majority of his rookie season but was a tackle in college.

It's been widely believed that the Dolphins were grooming Tunsil to be their long term answer at left tackle.

Albert, 32, has struggled with injures in recent years but still played fairly well when healthy.

While his athleticism has declined, Albert will still get calls from NFL teams due to his experience and Pro Bowl resume.

That being said, don't be shocked if the veteran is considering retirement after battling injuries for several years.

UPDATE

The Dolphins are also releasing defensive end Mario Williams.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald is reporting that Miami will cut Williams loose.

The move comes as no surprise as Williams was mostly a disappointment during his lone season with the Dolphins.

Miami is also releasing defensive tackle Earl Mitchell and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, per the report.

These moves will save the Dolphins millions in salary cap space.

Cutting Albert will save between $7.2 and $8.9 million.

The Williams move saves another $8.5 million and cutting Mitchell loose adds an additional $4 million.

In total, Miami saved between $19.7 and $21.4 million in cap space for the 2017 season.  Not bad for a Thursday morning.

 

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