Browns just cleared another $10 million in cap space

Andrew Berry has done it again. The Cleveland Browns general manager is known as one of the more aggressive GMs in the league and he's able to remain aggressive thanks to his mastery of the salary cap.

There's a never-ending debate around the cap with some calling it a myth while others pound the table that players lose their jobs over the cap. Berry, however, understands that there's a lot of fluidity to the cap and has continually found ways to create space. He's already done this with contract restructures for Jedrick Wills and Denzel Ward and now adds Jerry Jeudy to the mix.

Jeudy, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, was traded to Cleveland recently from the Denver Broncos. As was the case with Wills, his contract was fully guaranteed but Berry still freed up more than $10 million by converting that money to a salary bonus.

Jeudy was set to account for just under $13 million against the cap but will now be in the $2-$3 million range.

Browns can make these moves thanks to Jimmy Haslam

One thing that gets lost in the mix when it comes to the salary restructures is the role Jimmy Haslam plays. The owner of the Cleveland Browns makes this happen by his willingness to write huge checks.

When the salary is converted to a bonus, the player gets their money up-front and then Berry can spread the hit out for several years. There's a concern this could lead to them finally hitting a wall when the bill comes due but there's no rule that stops them from doing this indefinitely. So in other words, Berry can kick the can down the road forever as long as Haslam keeps signing the checks.

It only becomes a problem when the team stops winning. And if that happens, then the future year payments become the next GM's problem. Not a bad strategy for Berry.

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