The Dolphins plan to release veteran offensive tackle Branden Albert, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Thursday.
Albert, 32, spent the last three seasons with the Dolphins and made his second Pro Bowl in 2015. He played his first six seasons with the Chiefs.
The Dolphins drafted Laremy Tunsil in the first round last year and played him mostly at guard as a rookie, but releasing Albert does not come as a surprise because the team sees Tunsil as its left tackle of the future.
Albert had two years left on his contract and was due to make $8.8 million in 2017 had he stayed with the Dolphins.
Albert started all 12 games for which he was healthy last season. He becomes an interesting addition to the free agent tackle market. Earlier this week, the Jets declined to pick up the option on Ryan Clady and the Jaguars decided the same with Kelvin Beachum, making both free agents next month.
