A hyper-rocky offseason for Branden Albert now brings him back to where it all started: with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Coach Andy Reid announced Saturday that Albert, the team's starting left tackle, is set to rejoin his teammates on Monday for this week's voluntary offseason team activities.
"You saw where we put (first-round pick) Eric Fisher at the right tackle spot," Reid told the team's official site. "We worked him in there, which was good. We had some great talks with Branden Albert, and he'll be in here on Monday. Branden will play the left side, and Eric is going to play the right side."
That much we knew. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week that Albert was set to return to the Chiefs after months of speculation that he might be traded to the Miami Dolphins. His unhappiness in Kansas City partly was rooted in the possibility he would be moved to the right side once the team drafted a tackle.
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Instead, the Chiefs are keeping Albert on as Alex Smith's bookend and will continue to work toward a long-term contract with the 28-year-old lineman.
Rapoport reported Saturday that those contract talks will ramp up once Albert arrives Monday at the team facility. Albert is seeking a contract close to the six-year, $53.4 million extension inked by Houston Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown last year, according to Rapoport.
"That's an ongoing thing," said Reid, who suddenly finds himself with not one, but two, legitimate offensive tackles.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
