Cleveland Browns: 3 dark clouds left to address this offseason
By Greg Newland
Cleveland Browns Dark Cloud to Address No. 3 – Where is the money for extensions?
The big additions this offseason have been Amari Cooper and Watson no doubt. These are two positions that needed major upgrades on the Cleveland Browns roster, and Berry did just that.
But remember, this team has a ton of talent (and young talent) already on the roster. Is there a chance that they are setting themselves up to let a guy like Denzel Ward go? As it stands right now, Watson, Myles Garrett, and Cooper account for over $105 million of cap space next year.
At the moment, we don’t know what the 2023 number will be, but that could be as high as 50 percent of the total money the Browns have to spend, and Ward won’t even have an offer on the table.
I get it, the cap number is a bit fictitious and you can often manipulate your way around a few things. Players will be willing to restructure to stay on a winning team, but you will also miss out on a few opportunities.
I don’t know if Ward is a top-three cornerback in the league, but I do believe he is top-five. The way contracts have worked recently it isn’t necessarily the best player getting the most money, it’s the last person to get paid who gets the highest contract.
Ward appears happy in Cleveland, but I see a scenario where multiple teams would be interested in paying him $20 million-plus per year. With cap numbers so high for others on the roster, I’m just not sure the Browns will even be in the conversation. Remember, this doesn’t even include the possibility of bringing Jadeveon Clowney back.