Dolphins release ex-Bucs QB Freeman; new Winston trial date

MIAMI — The Josh Freeman Experiment didn't make it to training camp.

The Dolphins cut the former Bucs quarterback on Friday, three months after he signed a one-year deal after spending the 2014 season out of football. Freeman, 27, was uneven in minicamp and the organized team activities open to the media.

It's yet another disappointing ending for Freeman, drafted in the first round in 2009 by the Bucs, whose front office then included now-Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey. Freeman passed for 25 touchdowns with Tampa Bay in 2010 but hasn't matched that productivity since. He was cut in October 2013 after a falling out with then-coach Greg Schiano. He has had short stints with the Vikings and Giants.

Starter Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore and McLeod Bethel-Thompson are the remaining Dolphins quarterbacks.

New Winston trial date

A federal judge set a May 1, 2017, trial for the sexual battery lawsuit filed against Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston. That's about a month later than the date attorneys for Winston and his accuser, Erica Kinsman of Zephyrhills, had agreed to in court documents filed this week and reported Friday.

Middle District of Florida Chief Judge Anne C. Conway set the May date in a ruling filed Friday.

In April, Kinsman sued Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner at Florida State and this year's No. 1 overall draft pick, saying he raped her in December 2012 when both were FSU students. Winston was not arrested or charged. He has maintained his innocence and has filed a counterclaim against Kinsman, accusing her of defamation.

Suspension roundup: Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe was suspended for the first month of the season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. He said he took medicine in the offseason he didn't know was banned and apologized. … Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith was suspended for the first three games of the season and Vikings cornerback Jabari Price for the first two for DUI arrests. Smith was arrested last year and pleaded guilty this year. Price was arrested Dec. 29 and pleaded guilty April 10 to a reduced charge of careless driving. He apologized.

Cowboys: Running back Joseph Randle was put on six months of probation for stealing $123 worth of cologne and underwear from a mall in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth. Randle pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft in a plea deal for the Oct. 13 arrest.

Saints: Defensive end Junior Galette, who had a team-high 10 sacks in 2014 but also has had off-field trouble, said he will be released. "(It is) the worst call they've ever made," Galette, who last year signed a contract extension, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The team didn't comment. Galette is the subject of two league reviews: a January domestic violence arrest that resulted in charges being dropped and a video showing a man identified as him hitting a woman with a belt during a 2013 brawl.