The Miami Dolphins have started their offseason roster moves in an effort to create some additional salary cap space. The first three moves included releasing defensive end Andre Branch, offensive lineman Ted Larsen, and wide receiver Danny Amendola, none of which are overly surprising moves - though I thought there was a chance the New England Patriots ties of the new coaching staff could lead to Amendola being kept for another year to help as a leader and veteran in a younger wide receiving corps.
The release of Branch adds $2 million to the Dolphins’ “dead money” pool - the money that counts against the salary cap for a released player either through still-owed guaranteed money or accelerated signing bonus pro-rated amounts - but also adds $7 million in cap savings for the team.