The Miami Dolphins have released backup quarterback Josh Freeman to free agency as the team's training camp on July 30 draws near, as per ESPN.

The Dolphins took their chances and signed Freeman this summer even if he was out of the league for one whole year. When he came in, Miami's coaches anticipated him to compete for the starting role against Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore.

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However, Freeman did not perform up to what was expected of him.

It was speculated that the 27-year-old Kansas City native had been so inconsistent in the OTAs and did not work enough to take a spot in head coach Joe Philbin's roster. He was reportedly even worse than resident third-string signal caller McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who he often split reps with during practices, which made his release unsurprising at all to people close to the team.

The 6-foot-6, 240-pound signal caller was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 17th overall pick in the NFL's 2009 draft and had started for the Bucs till his release in 2013, allegedly due to internal turmoil. He was team captain in all the four years he had been at Tampa Bay until that fateful last season with the Bucs.

He was then signed by the Minnesota Vikings in October of that year where he became their third-string quarterback behind Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel.

The New York Giants signed him in April 2014 as "insurance" for then injured playmaker Eli Manning, according to the NFL's official website. However, the Giants abruptly released him a month later for undisclosed reasons, which made the former Kansas State standout miss the entire season last year altogether.

The Dolphins breathed Freeman's career new life by giving him a one-year contract this April, but then it did not last until training camp before he was released again. There were no further reports of Freeman's future plans as of yet.

Freeman's last effective season was in 2012 when he threw 4,065 yards and scored 27 touchdowns. Since then, he only played four games and had more interceptions than TDs.

With his release, the Dolphins are now left with only three quarterbacks, Tannehill, Moore, and Bethel-Thompson, as reported by NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk.

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, NFL rumors, NFL Rumors 2015, miami dolphins, Josh Freeman