Reports that the Cleveland Browns are in cap trouble are greatly exaggerated. Sure, when you look at their salaries for 2023, they’re in the red by more than $14 million. But that won’t be the case when the final numbers are reported.
Cleveland has done a great job at saving money and rolling it into future years and in 2023, they will have an additional $27.5 million to roll over, making them the “king of rollover cap space” according to Jacob Roach of Browns Wire.
Even with that being the case, they’re likely going to need more money in order to fill out this roster and that can happen with a few restructures as well as some outright releases. With that being said, here are three players who will most likely be cut this offseason.
3 salary cap cuts the Cleveland Browns must make this offseason
3. Jakeem Grant, WR/KR
There was a lot of excitement when the Browns signed Jakeem Grant to a three-year contract this offseason. The former Miami Dolphins’ fifth-round pick made the Pro Bowl in 2021 after starting the year with the Dolphins before being traded to the Chicago Bears.
Grant made the Pro Bowl for his skill as a return man and he has 1,228 yards and four touchdowns on punt returns and 2,699 yards and two scores on kickoffs. The Browns have been looking for a special teams star and though they found it here, plus there was a chance he could show up on offense as well.
As a receiver, he never was utilized much and has just 100 receptions for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns in six seasons. Still, Cleveland was excited to see what he could do on offense, and he was having a fantastic training camp before an Achilles injury ended his season before it began.
Grant is now going to be 31 this season and is coming off a tough injury, with that being the case, it’s highly likely they make a move and they could save nearly $3 million with less than a $1 million hit by making him a post-June 1 release.
2. Joe Haeg, OT
It won’t be hard to go over Joe Haeg’s career with Cleveland because like Jakeem Grant, he never got started. However, unlike Grant, Haeg was a very under-the-radar signing that took place after training camp — and hardly anyone noticed the move.
Haeg signed on September, 4 to a three-year contract worth $7.5 million, and $2.6 million of that was guaranteed. Clearly, they had big plans for him this season, likely due to Jack Conklin coming off major surgery.
Conklin wound up returning after just a couple of weeks but that was quicker than expected. Still, the Browns wanted a trusted veteran and that’s what they found in Haeg. While he’s never been a full-time starter, he does have 39 career starts in 72 games while playing for three different teams. He even had a touchdown catch in the Super Bowl for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Unfortunately, he never made it to the field in Cleveland, instead landing on the IR with a concussion. He missed three games before they decided in October to sideline him for the year.
Now heading into 2023, it’s clear that Haeg isn’t in the plans. They might have given him a decent contract for a backup lineman, but $2.1 million of the $2.6 million guaranteed was paid out in 2022. That means they can save $2 million this season and $2.9 million in 2024 by releasing him. And the only cap hit would be just $500,000 — which isn’t close to what they’re paying Jadeveon Clowney to not be on the team.
1. John Johnson III, S
When the Browns signed John Johnson III ahead of the 2021 season, it appeared as though they made a huge move. A former third-round pick from Boston College, he developed into a quality starter for the Los Angeles Rams, and for the second year in a row, general manager Andrew Berry landed a big fish in free agency.
First, it was Austin Hooper, the former Atlanta Falcons teammate. Unfortunately, Hooper never fit in the offense and was released after just two seasons. While Johnson played well in his first campaign with the team, there’s a real chance he will join Hooper as the second big-name free agent to be cut after just two years.
Johnson took a step back in 2022, but in his defense, so did the entire defense. The problem for Johnson, however, is that he was seen as the veteran leader of the defense. But instead of taking ownership, he was one of the players pointing fingers and even called out his teammates saying they needed to show more effort and commitment.
Then the following weekend, he was seen giving up on a play and refusing to tackle Gus Edwards in a loss to the Ravens.
Right now, Johnson is seventh on the team with a cap hit of $13.5 million in 2023. Should they make him a post-June 1 release, they would be able to save $9.75 million of that money.
There’s still a chance Jim Schwartz will want to keep Johnson in his defense but right now, it appears they would be best served to move on and spend that money elsewhere.
3 free agents the Cleveland Browns likely won’t consider
Even though Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns will likely be aggressive this offseason, there's no chance they consider these 3 free agents fans want.