The Cleveland Browns showed during this offseason that they are not afraid to spend money for marquee players.
First, they’ve absorbed the remainder of Amari Cooper‘s contract after getting him from the Dallas Cowboys.
Then, they gave tight end David Njoku a four-year, $54.75 million contract.
The Browns also signed Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract.
Finally, they also rewarded Denzel Ward with a hefty five-year, $100.5 million deal, making him the highest-paid cornerback in terms of annual average value.
Yet despite the splurge, the Browns still have massive cap space left, as Pro Football Focus writer Ari Meirov shared.
Updated post-June 1: A look at where all 32 NFL teams stand in salary cap space: pic.twitter.com/3LnC7LMhbY
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 3, 2022
After June 1, the Browns still have $40.9 million in cap space left.
The Carolina Panthers are a distant second at $24.7 million, while the Las Vegas Raiders are third at $22.6 million.
The Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots are at the bottom of the list.
June 1 is an important date in the NFL calendar because teams can soften the blow of the dead cap from released players.
Instead of absorbing the penalty for one season, they can stretch the value over two seasons, giving them some cap flexibility.
Salary Cap Gymnastics For The Browns
While Cleveland made those huge offers to some of their key players, they won’t feel the full weight of those transactions in 2022.
Ward and Watson will only have base salaries of $1,035,000.
With that cap space, they can give one-year deals to players who could help their cause.
They still need help in the passing game, making Julio Jones or Will Fuller suitable targets.
The Browns could also gamble on Anthony Barr to boost their defense.
The team must sign more players because their cap space puts their liabilities at around $187 million.
That’s still below the 90 percent minimum cap that teams must use every season.
NEXT: NFL Insider Discusses An Intriguing Browns Target