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I truly do not understand what the Rams think they'll be gaining with this trade. Only thing I can think of is that Ramsey actually does want out, and the Rams have decided to get what they can.
I truly do not understand what the Rams think they'll be gaining with this trade. Only thing I can think of is that Ramsey actually does want out, and the Rams have decided to get what they can.
That is kind of his M.O.
I feel like I am watching the destruction of our democracy while my neighbors and friends cheer it on
Pick #48 and maybe a later pick or a swap for Ramsey?
I wouldn’t be desperate and trade #18 for Ramsey… Deal for him at a fair price if the demand isn’t there.
Correct, maybe one team gets crazy. Such as the Bears trading pick #32 for Chase Claypool.
That article says there is no guaranteed money beyond this upcoming season. So I’m sure the issue has to do with an extension or revising that contract, and the Rams may not want or can’t hand out the money he wants. So they might think they need to deal him now to get the most value out of him.
Pick #48 and maybe a later pick or a swap for Ramsey?
I wouldn’t be desperate and trade #18 for Ramsey… Deal for him at a fair price if the demand isn’t there.
Correct, maybe one team gets crazy. Such as the Bears trading pick #32 for Chase Claypool.
As NFL teams prepare for free agency to begin March 15, they’ll spend the coming weeks trimming bad contracts and creating more financial flexibility.
Most teams have at least one potential cap-related cut on their rosters, and some have a few. Even those who don’t possess a clearly cuttable contract might acquire more cap room by trading away a player of significance or seeing one retire. Below, The Athletic’s NFL writers identify potential cost-saving moves for every team.
(Editor’s note: All salary data is from Over The Cap. The figures mentioned generally reflect the finances associated with releasing a player before June 1, except in the instances when a post-June 1 transaction that spreads out the dead money charge over two seasons makes more sense.)
Arizona Cardinals
Potential cap cut: WR Robbie Anderson
2023 cap hit: $12 million
Cap saving if cut before June 1: $12 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $0
This seems like a no-brainer. Previous GM Steve Keim traded for Anderson last October to help boost an injury-plagued receiving group. It was a desperate move, but the Cardinals didn’t give up much — a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-round pick — so it was worth the gamble. It just didn’t work out. Anderson may be remembered more for the passes he dropped rather than the passes he caught. In 10 games, he made seven catches for 76 yards, and just never seemed to connect with Kyler Murray or the rotation of QBs that followed after Murray’s knee injury. — Doug Haller
Atlanta Falcons
Potential cap cut: QB Marcus Mariota
2023 cap hit: $14.5 million
Cap saving if cut before June 1: $12 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $2.5 million
The Falcons aren’t technically going to have any true cap-related cuts. They will have at least $55 million of money to spend in free agency, the second-most in the league this offseason, so they can pay who they want to pay. Mariota would be more of a burned bridge cut. After being benched following 13 starts last season, Mariota surprised Atlanta by leaving the team to undergo a knee procedure. Head coach Arthur Smith said at the time that Mariota’s knee was not a factor in the decision to bench him and seemed surprised it was an issue at all. It felt then and still feels like a hard separation to bounce back from. Given that Desmond Ridder played well enough after replacing Mariota, expect the Falcons to add even more money to its war chest by cutting Mariota. — Josh Kendall
Baltimore Ravens
Potential cap cut: S Chuck Clark
2023 cap hit: $6.27 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $3.64 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $2.63 million
A sixth-round pick in 2017, Clark earned his spot as a core special teamer, developed into a defensive mainstay and became the signal caller of the group, starting 61 games the last four years. The Ravens love Clark, but they have a lot of money tied up in veteran safety Marcus Williams, and they drafted safety Kyle Hamilton in the first round last April. Hamilton improved throughout his rookie season and looks ready to be a three-down player. Clark likely won’t be the only Ravens veteran to depart, as the team will need salary cap space to accommodate Lamar Jackson’s expected franchise tag. — Jeff Zrebiec
Buffalo Bills
Potential cap cut: RB Nyheim Hines
2023 cap hit: $4.79 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $4.79 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $0
Hines arrived in Buffalo at the trade deadline as they hoped he would be a missing piece on the offense, but he never became a regular feature for offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. Hines did make himself a valuable player as a kickoff returner, but that usually doesn’t equate to a $4.8 million cap hit. The Bills could save more money by cutting Hines than on any other non-core player this year. Hines’ cap hit likely needs to be addressed as is, and a pay cut is possible rather than an outright release. — Joe Buscaglia
Carolina Panthers
Potential cap cut: LB Shaq Thompson
2023 cap hit: $24.5 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $13.2 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $11.3 million
Thompson is the last position player left from the Panthers’ Super Bowl season of 2015, when Thompson was a rookie playing alongside Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. The former first-round pick has never reached the status of those two franchise pillars — admittedly, a high bar. But he’s been a solid player who finished his age-27 season with a career-best 135 tackles, which ranked in the top 15 in the league. Thompson also was durable, playing a full season after an offseason knee procedure. It just comes down to money for a player whose contract was restructured each of the past two offseasons. As a result, Thompson now carries the Panthers’ third-highest cap number, just behind DJ Moore ($25 million) and Taylor Moton ($24.54 million). — Joe Person
Chicago Bears
Potential cap cut: OG Cody Whitehair
2023 cap hit: $14.1 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $5.8 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $8.3 million
The cap savings for Whitehair increase to $9.9 million if he’s designated as a post-June 1 cut, but the Bears aren’t pressed for cap space. Whitehair has been the consummate professional since being drafted in 2016. He’s played three positions. He’s been a captain. He’s the longest-tenured player on offense by three years. The Bears won’t want to create another void by cutting someone who’s more than serviceable, but if GM Ryan Poles seeks upgrades across the board on the offensive line, then Whitehair — who turns 31 this summer — might not be part of the Bears’ future. — Kevin Fishbain
Cincinnati Bengals
Potential cap cut: RB Joe Mixon
2023 cap hit: $12.8 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $7.3 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $5.5 million
The Bengals can boost their cap savings to $10 million by designating Mixon as a post-June 1 cut, but the organization typically avoids kicking dead money down the road. Named a captain for the first time in 2022, Mixon brings more juice and energy to the field than anyone on the roster when he gets going. But he struggled to get going for much of 2022, and the Bengals got equal production from Samaje Perine at a much lower cost. Even with Perine hitting free agency, the Bengals can bring him back at a more affordable price and look for a younger back during — or after — the draft. The Bengals envisioned this scenario coming into play when they signed Mixon to a four-year, $48 million contract in 2020, and structured the deal so that they could get out of it two years early without much of a hit. And with the Joe Burrow extension dictating so much of what the front office will do this offseason, reallocating $7.3 million to more pressing needs feels closer to a certainty than a mere possibility. — Jay Morrison
continued..
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken L
Cleveland Browns
Potential cap cut: S John Johnson III
2023 cap hit: $13.5 million
Cap savings if cut after June 1: $9.75 million
Dead money if cut after June 1: $3.75 million
Though it’s not an easy decision because the Browns are looking to add veteran starters to their defense rather than let them leave, the finances here say the Browns will cut Johnson using the post-June 1 designation, freeing up almost $10 million in 2023 cap space and spreading out the $12 million Johnson is still guaranteed over several seasons on the cap. The Browns just can’t keep Johnson at that number after he had just four interceptions in two seasons. Barring a restructure, the Browns will eventually be searching for a starting free safety and will have some financial flexibility to pursue at least one high-priced defensive lineman via trade or free agency over the next few weeks. — Zac Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
Potential cap cut: OT Tyron Smith
2023 cap hit: $17.6 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $9.6 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $8.0 million
This is the final year of the original eight-year deal Smith signed early in his career. It was a team-friendly deal and has remained such, but the Cowboys restructured it enough over the years that this final season has a pretty big number on it. That said, Smith is an exceptional player when he is healthy and frankly, that number for a top left tackle is not out of the range at all. But, that is the catch. Smith has played in just 17 of the Cowboys’ last 50 regular-season games and has not played more than 13 games in a season since his rookie deal expired (2015). He is a valued member of the organization and a potential Hall of Famer, but at some point, we must admit his body has probably given most of what it has to give. — Bob Sturm
Denver Broncos
Potential cap cut: CB Ronald Darby
2023 cap hit: $12.6 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $9.6 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $3 million
Since signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Broncos in 2021, Darby has played in only 16 of a possible 33 games due to injuries and has not recorded an interception. When Darby went down in Week 5 last season with a torn ACL, he was replaced by fourth-round rookie Damarri Mathis, who showed promise as a starting outside corner. All those factors mean Darby likely won’t be back with the Broncos next season unless it is on a restructured deal. Other players to watch for Denver to cut: RB Chase Edmonds, OL Graham Glasgow and NT Mike Purcell. — Nick Kosmider
Detroit Lions
Potential cap cut: OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai
2023 cap hit: $13.9 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $6.5 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $5.9 million
Vaitai, Detroit’s starting right guard, is coming off of a lost year. Injuries have plagued his Lions tenure, and the 2022 season was no different. Most recently, a back injury and subsequent surgery wiped out his year before it even began. He didn’t take a snap in 2022. The Lions could look to restructure his contract and run it back with a presumably healthy Vaitai in 2023. Or they could create an additional $6.5 million in cap space by releasing Vaitai prior to June 1, then draft his successor in April. Detroit has five picks among the top 85. This situation is certainly worth monitoring.
Green Bay Packers
Potential cap cut: OL Sean Rhyan
2023 cap hit: $1.2 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $485,001
Dead money if cut before June 1: $679,284
There is no easy answer to this question in Green Bay this offseason, whereas, for example, the obvious answer was edge rusher Za’Darius Smith a year ago. The two biggest-name candidates to be cap-related cuts were running back Aaron Jones and left tackle David Bakhtiari, but Jones already took a pay cut to ensure he stays in Green Bay, and the Packers figure to restructure Bakhtiari’s contract. Edge rusher Preston Smith might be the answer in a year when Rashan Gary isn’t coming off a torn ACL, but the Packers need healthy bodies on the edge. Inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and cornerback Rasul Douglas didn’t replicate their 2021 breakout seasons in 2022, but Green Bay is too thin at both positions to cut either. There’s really nobody I see getting cut to free up chunks of cap space, but for the purpose of this exercise, I’ll say it’s Rhyan. He was suspended for the last six games of his rookie season in 2022 for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. — Matt Schneidman
Houston Texans
Potential cap cut: S Eric Murray
2023 cap hit: $5.36 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $4 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $1.36 million
The Texans are in good cap shape. With more than $37.1 million of space, they boast the fourth-most cap space in the league. However, they could free up a bit more by parting with veterans who no longer figure into their plans. Linebacker Christian Kirksey, who would save $5 million if cut, has been rumored to be a potential cap-related cut, but he’s a strong leader and one of the Texans’ leading tacklers, which could make him valuable to new head coach DeMeco Ryans, himself a former Houston linebacker. Murray, however, saw rookie Jalen Pitre cut into his playing time last season. Pitre racked up 147 tackles and five interceptions as a second-round pick. So Murray could find himself as the odd man out. — Mike Jones
Indianapolis Colts
Potential cap cut: QB Matt Ryan
2023 cap hit: $35.2 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1 (really March 17 before other contract guarantees kick in): $17.2 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $18 million
After a rough 2022 season in which Ryan threw 14 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, fumbled 15 times and was benched twice, it’s almost certain the 37-year-old won’t be retained. The Colts are poised to select a quarterback in the draft, and Ryan is too expensive to serve as a backup. It’s also unlikely he’ll have a trade market given his age and regression. If Ryan retired, Indianapolis would only have a $6.2 million dead cap hit and save $29.2 million against the cap in 2023, but Ryan has no reason to do the team any favors. — James Boyd
continued..
Last edited by whatever_gong82; February 25, 2023, 06:49 PM.
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken L
Jacksonville Jaguars
Potential cap cut: CB Shaquill Griffin
2023 cap hit: $17.1 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $13,1 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $4 million
Griffin has the fifth-highest cap hit on the roster, and he’s got the only contract among their top-10 cap hits that makes any financial sense to cut. The Jaguars need to free up about $38 million in space to be cap-compliant and, realistically, at least $60 million if they intend to sign their draft class or make any substantial veteran acquisitions. They can restructure a number of contracts to reach that point, but an easy step in that process involves moving on from Griffin, particularly as the Jaguars figure to get younger in the secondary anyway. Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris ($7.8 million in cap savings, $2.3 million in dead money) is another potential cap cut. — Jeff Howe
Kansas City Chiefs
Potential cap cut: DE Frank Clark
2023 cap hit: $28.67 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $21 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $7.67 million
The lone logical candidate for the Chiefs is Clark, who was impressive in the team’s postseason run in generating 2.5 sacks. Clark restructured his contract last year to stay on the team, which reduced his base salary to $3.7 million. But one of the easiest ways for the Chiefs to create cap space — in addition to converting Patrick Mahomes’ roster bonus into a signing bonus — is by releasing Clark before free agency begins. It’s also possible Clark could return to the team on a more manageable deal for both parties. — Nate Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
Potential cap cut: C Andre James
2023 cap hit: $6.98 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $5.06 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $1.92 million
Dylan Parham moved around in his 17 starts as a rookie — he started 13 games at left guard, two games at center and two games at right guard — but the Raiders drafted him last year to become their center of the future. James played well across 15 starts at center last season, but he remains a player general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels inherited from the previous regime. Not only is Parham their guy, but he’s younger, cheaper — he’ll have a cap hit of just over $1.16 million in 2023 — and has more long-term upside. Saving about $5 million via moving on from James isn’t the biggest boon, but every dollar matters for a Raiders team that needs to find a new quarterback, improve the O-line and bolster all three levels of the defense. — Tashan Reed
Los Angeles Chargers
Potential cap cut: OG Matt Feiler
2023 cap hit: $8.5 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $6.5 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $2 million
The Chargers signed Feiler in free agency in 2021, and he was a solid starter in his first season with the team. But he regressed significantly in 2022, both as a pass and run blocker. The Chargers are more than $20 million over the cap. They are going to have to make multiple moves just to get cap-complaint by the new league year. There is a good chance Feiler gets cut considering the potential savings and how he played last year. The Chargers also have a viable replacement already on the roster in second-year lineman Jamaree Salyer, who emerged as a starting-caliber player as a rookie last year while filling in for Rashawn Slater at left tackle. Salyer has positional flexibility at tackle and guard. — Daniel Popper
Los Angeles Rams
Potential cap cut: OLB Leonard Floyd
2023 cap hit: $22 million
Cap savings if cut after June 1: $3 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $19 million
Floyd has been really productive for the Rams over his three years in Los Angeles, with 29 sacks. But the Rams need to clear cap space and could decide to overhaul much of their defense, similar to 2019. This would probably only happen if the Rams couldn’t trade Floyd (if their determination is indeed to move on). None of Floyd’s 2023 or 2024 salary is guaranteed. A post-June 1 designation would save them $15.5 million with $6.5 million in dead money.
Another possible cap cut is center Brian Allen ($2.1 million in savings pre-June 1, $4.4 million post-June 1). — Jourdan Rodrigue
Miami Dolphins
Potential cap cut: CB Byron Jones
2023 cap hit: $18.35 million
Cap savings if cut after June 1: $13.6 million
Dead money if cut after June 1: $4.7 million
If the Dolphins are going to rid themselves of Jones’ contract, they’ll wait to do it until after June 1, when the savings will approach $14 million with a dead cap hit of less than $5 million. Moving on from Jones at his current figure seems like an easy decision. The one-time Pro Bowl cornerback missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing offseason surgery and is about to enter his age-31 season. While the Dolphins would need to find a starter to replace him, they could use the money they save by cutting him to do so while also addressing needs at other positions. — Jim Ayello
Minnesota Vikings
Potential cap cut: LB Eric Kendricks
2023 cap hit: $11.43 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $9.5 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $1.93 million
The Vikings have a bunch of options here. To name a few: Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith, Dalvin Cook, Za’Darius Smith and others. Kendricks, though, makes sense as a selection for this exercise. For one, his 2022 performance dipped considerably. It’s hard to peg how much his decline in impact was a byproduct of coordinator Ed Donatell’s scheme. There is also a sensible argument to be made about Kendricks’ potential in a man-to-man, blitz-heavy Brian Flores defense. In general, though, the Vikings could decide that young linebacker Brian Asamoah is ready to start. And if that’s the case, this could be an understandable move, even for as much as Kendricks has been a Vikings franchise cornerstone for years. — Alec Lewis
New England Patriots
Potential cap cut: CB Jalen Mills
2023 cap hit: $6.2 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $4.9 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $1.25 million
What’s tough for the Patriots is that their best opportunities to save money against the cap are by cutting players at positions of need. Tight end Hunter Henry, offensive tackle Trent Brown, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, and Mills would all yield more cap savings than dead money — but also all play positions at which the Pats can ill afford to get worse. So while we could have gone with the three preceding names, we’re going with Mills who battled injuries last season, only played in 10 games and didn’t play particularly well when he was on the field. The Patriots need outside cornerbacks, which complicates this, but Mills didn’t play up to his current cap hit a year ago. — Chad Graff
New Orleans Saints
Potential cap cut: QB Jameis Winston
2023 cap hit: $15.6 million
Cap savings if cut after June 1: $4.4 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $11.2 million
The Saints essentially gave up on Winston when the veteran quarterback left the lineup after Week 3 with a back injury on top of last year’s knee injury. The Saints stuck with Andy Dalton, who’s a pending free agent, for the rest of the season. New Orleans originally structured Winston’s contract at signing before the 2022 season to give itself some sort of escape hatch, even though it’s not a hefty one before June 1. Releasing Winston would give the Saints $12.8 million in cap savings and $2.8 million in dead money if they dubbed him a post-June designation. Regardless, Winston’s time in New Orleans is likely up. — Larry Holder
New York Giants
Potential cap cut: WR Kenny Golladay
2023 cap hit: $21.4 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $6.7 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $14.7 million
Golladay will surely be a cap cut. Cutting him will create $6.7 million in savings while leaving $14.7 million in dead money. There will be speculation the Giants could designate Golladay as a post-June 1 cut, which would create $13.5 million in cap savings with $7.9 million in dead money this year. The downside of that approach is it would push $6.8 million in dead money onto the 2024 cap. The Giants are in a healthy enough cap position that there’s no reason to push dead money into the future. They should just tear off the Band-Aid from one of the remaining Dave Gettleman errors and move on. — Dan Duggan
New York Jets
Potential cap cut: WR Corey Davis
2023 cap hit: $11.16 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $10.5 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $666,668
The Jets don’t have the luxury of significant cap space like they did every offseason since Joe Douglas was hired as GM. But there are a few obvious cut candidates on the roster whom they’ll be forced to part with if they intend to seriously upgrade the roster elsewhere. The easiest cut will likely be Davis, who has been a solid receiver and veteran since signing in 2021 but has been too injury-prone — 12 missed games in two seasons — to rely on, especially at that cap number. It’s a weak free agency class at wide receiver, so Davis likely won’t be looking for work for long. — Zach Rosenblatt
continued..
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken L
Philadelphia Eagles
Potential trade cut: WR Quez Watkins
2023 cap hit: $2.78 million
Cap savings if cut or traded before June 1: $2.74 million
Dead money if cut or traded before June 1: $42,415
The Eagles don’t really have a proper answer for this prompt. There are a few players with contracts designed for them to be post-June 1 releases (Fletcher Cox for sure, along with perhaps Brandon Graham and Jason Kelce, depending on their decisions about their futures). Watkins had an underwhelming third season in Philadelphia as the No. 3 wide receiver following A.J. Brown’s addition to the offense. Upgrading from Watkins won’t be the Eagles’ top offseason priority, but it’s something they’d like to do, perhaps in the middle rounds of the draft. Watkins still offers top-end speed, so if there’s a team desperate for some, Howie Roseman would certainly be open to a deal. — Bo Wulf
Pittsburgh Steelers
Potential cap cut: QB Mitch Trubisky
2023 cap hit: $10.62 million
Cap savings if cut or traded before June 1: $8 million
Dead money if cut or traded before June 1: $2.62 million
In a perfect world, the Steelers would love to keep a veteran like Trubisky to stand behind Kenny Pickett, but when you are tight against the cap, all things are on the table, including cutting Trubisky loose. Same goes for linebacker Myles Jack or cornerback William Jackson III. With the sure departure of No. 3 quarterback Mason Rudolph as well, a Trubisky release would force the Steelers into a tough situation behind Pickett. But is a guy who can potentially hold a clipboard all season worth $8 million? That’s what the Steelers new front office must decide considering they also want to re-sign Alex Highsmith, Terrell Edmunds, Cam Sutton and potentially Larry Ogunjobi. Jack also could be on the chopping block despite playing well last year. Jackson is almost a guaranteed release. He’s counting $12.2 million against the cap and practiced twice last year after getting traded from Washington. — Mark Kaboly
San Francisco 49ers
Potential cap cut: DT Javon Kinlaw
2023 cap hit: $4.9 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $0
Dead money if cut before June 1: $4.9 million
The 49ers don’t have any obvious cap-related cuts. Kinlaw’s persistent knee issues have prevented him from reaching his potential or living up to his first-round draft status. The 49ers certainly could part ways with him at some point to gain the roster spot, but cutting him wouldn’t result in any additional cap space. The only way they recoup some money would be via a trade in which the 49ers pick up some of Kinlaw’s salary. The 49ers’ best bet when it comes to cap savings this offseason would be to convert the base salaries of some high-priced veterans — tackle Trent Williams and running back Christian McCaffrey come to mind — into bonuses. — Matt Barrows
Seattle Seahawks
Potential cap cut: OG Gabe Jackson
2023 cap hit: $11.2 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $$6.5 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $4.7 million
Jackson will be 32 at the start of next season. He was effectively a part-time starter who shared snaps with Phil Haynes, who on Tuesday was signed to a one-year deal ahead of his impending free agency. The terms of Haynes’ deal have not yet been disclosed, but bringing back the 27-year-old is probably bad news for Jackson. Jackson appeared in 15 of Seattle’s 17 games, but he dealt with a knee injury that required maintenance throughout the week and wasn’t effective as he had been in the 2021 season.
Another cap cut candidate would be defensive tackle Shelby Harris. He’s entering his age-32 season and has a cap hit of $12.2 million. That’s not a terribly expensive number for a starting-caliber defensive tackle but if released or traded, he’d save Seattle $8.9 million. — Michael-Shawn Dugar
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Potential cap cut: RB Leonard Fournette
2023 cap hit: $8.47 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $3.47 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $5 million
Fournette’s contract has him as the 10th-highest-paid running back in the NFL next season. His 2022 production was far from top 10 — he ranked 40th in the league in rushing yards. Some of that was out of his control, but the Bucs have a new offensive coordinator and probably want to give more playing time to 2022 third-round pick Rachaad White, who took some of Fournette’s play time in the second half of the season. If the Bucs are rebuilding — and it sure looks that way — they are likely to want to go young at running back. — Dan Pompei
Tennessee Titans
Potential cap cut: EDGE Bud Dupree
2023 cap hit: $20.2 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $9.35 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $10.85 million
Dupree is an underrated misstep among the many that populated the end of GM Jon Robinson’s tenure, a player who hasn’t come close to validating his massive deal in two seasons with the Titans. That’s mostly because of injury, which means Dupree has fit right in with much of the roster in his time in Nashville. He has seven sacks in 17 games in two seasons. He has also had bursts of effectiveness in stretches of health, and the Titans looked fearsome for parts of 2021 with Dupree, Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry all going. So this isn’t a slam dunk. But moving on and getting younger across from Landry seems the prudent move. — Joe Rexrode
Washington Commanders
Potential cap cut: TE Logan Thomas
2023 cap hit: $8.675 million
Cap savings if cut before June 1: $5.175 million
Dead money if cut before June 1: $3.5 million
Several of Washington’s highest projected salary cap hits warrant release/re-structure consideration, but the full scope of Thomas’s scenario puts him center stage. Though he finished fourth on the team with 39 receptions last season, the 6-foot-6 target rarely found his rhythm after recovering from a December 2021 ACL tear. PFF ranked the former quarterback among the worst blockers within the TE sect in 2022. There are no proven pass-catching options behind Thomas, a strong locker-room presence who turns 32 in July, but the coaching staff sees potential in John Bates, Armani Rogers and Cole Turner. The Commanders could also target the position in the draft. — Ben Standig
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken L
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