The Cleveland Browns will spend their offseason more worried about becoming salary cap compliant than bringing in a ton of new signings.
Cleveland currently sits at $20 million above the salary cap, per Spotrac, and it is difficult for the franchise to move on from the biggest contracts on the books.
Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett and most of the offensive linemen are valuable pieces that must stay in Cleveland for the team to contend for a playoff spot.
That leaves some players in the second tier of the contract table potentially at risk of being cut.
A few veteran releases combined with either shrewd free-agency signing or smart draft picks could improve the Browns’ roster depth for 2024.
The Browns have just over $30 million committed to Garrett, Dalvin Tomlinson and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo next season.
Okoronkwo’s contract is the easiest to get rid of in the offseason because it is the cheapest of the three deals.
The defensive end, who signed from the Houston Texans last offseason, could be a salary cap casualty if the Browns can’t restructure some deals to become more compliant.
Okoronkwo had a solid season opposite Garrett with 4.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits.
He would be a terrific piece to have around for a second season, but with so much money tied up in Watson’s contract, the Browns may have to make some unpopular budget cuts.
Elijah Moore might sit in a precarious situation despite recording his career high in receiving yards in 2023.
Moore is scheduled to make $1.8 million in 2024 in the final year of the rookie contract he signed with the New York Jets.
The contract length could be the reason why the Browns let go of Moore in the offseason.
Cleveland probably will not be able to afford Moore on a new deal because of its current cap situation and the need to sign young players, like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, to longer deals.
The development of David Bell and Cedric Tillman could accelerate Moore’s exit timeline as well.
The Browns could feel comfortable going into the 2024 season with Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Bell, Tillman and a potential high draft pick to save some money on offense.
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