Orlando Franklin has started 26 games for the Los Angeles Chargers the past two years, and now he’s a cap casualty after being released by the team.
Chargers released offensive lineman Orlando Franklin, per source. Chargers drafted two guards and deemed Franklin too pricey to keep.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 15, 2017
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted, the Chargers drafted two guards this year — Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney.
Franklin was originally a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos out of Miami. It’s likely he’ll land a new job in rather short order. He was set to earn $6 million in base salary this year, though they will save $3 million by cutting him.
The #Chargers informed OL Orlando Franklin of his release today, saving $3M against the cap. … But they still owe him $3.5M guaranteed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 15, 2017
Lamp will almost certainly slide right into the starting lineup as Franklin’s replacement in 2017. He was widely viewed as the best overall offensive lineman in the 2017 NFL Draft, and the Chargers landed a steal drafting him in Round 2.