NFL Cap Space By Team For 2019
With hours to go before the start of the 2019 NFL season, here’s a rundown of how much cap room each NFL team has (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter):
- Indianapolis Colts – $42.1MM
- Cleveland Browns – $32.7MM
- Miami Dolphins – $31.9MM
- Houston Texans – $29.5MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.8MM
- Tennessee Titans – $24.1MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $22.3MM
- Detroit Lions – $19.2MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $18.7MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $16.6MM
- Washington Redskins – $15.9MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $14.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $13.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $12.4MM
- Oakland Raiders – $12MM
- Denver Broncos – $11.2MM
- Green Bay Packers – $10.8MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $10.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $9.5MM
- New York Jets – $9.3MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $8.6MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $8.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.3MM
- New England Patriots – $4.9MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $2.7MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.2MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $1.2MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $852K
- New Orleans Saints – $604K
- Atlanta Falcons – $493K
- New York Giants – $457K
Broncos Tried To Claim Austin Calitro
- Brandon Marshall worked out for the Texans this week but was not signed. The former Super Bowl starter and recent Raiders cut mentioned to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson the Texans informed him a signing could take place after Week 1 (Twitter link). Marshall spent much of the offseason rehabbing a knee injury that helped lead to his Broncos departure, mentioning on Hard Knocks he was in pain for much of that time. However, the soon-to-be 30-year-old off-ball linebacker said during the HBO series finale he has returned to full health — albeit too late to make the Raiders. The Texans feature Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham as their starting inside ‘backers but are much less proven behind them.
- The Jaguars claimed linebacker Austin Calitro off waivers from Seattle, but other AFC teams wanted to add the recently cut defender. Both the Broncos and Bengals submitted claims for Calitro, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. But the Jags’ higher waiver priority, No. 7, won out. Both Denver and Cincinnati are thin at inside ‘backer presently.
Broncos Place Lock, Butt, Riddick On IR
The Broncos have placed quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Jake Butt, and running back Theo Riddick on injured reserve, per a team announcement. All three will be eligible to return to game action after eight weeks, but the Broncos can only activate up to two players from IR, not the whole trio.
The moves will clear the way for three signings: linebackers Keishawn Bierria and Corey Nelson and cornerback Davontae Harris. Bierria and Nelson (see story here) will receive one-year deals while Harris gets a two-year pact.
If all three players return to full health, and Joe Flacco plays well, Butt and Riddick could be the leaders in the clubhouse for the Broncos’ IR-DTR spots.
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Denver Broncos
- Signed:
- Claimed:
- TE Andrew Beck
- CB Davontae Harris
- C Corey Levin
- WR Diontae Spencer
- Waived:
- WR River Cracraft
- T Jake Rodgers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Jody Fortson
- TE Nick Keizer
- RB Marcus Marshall
- C James Murray
- QB Kyle Shurmur
- WR Cody Thompson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to practice squad:
- OL Chris Brown
- OL Spencer Drango
- CB Kemon Hall
- DE Anthony Lanier
- WR Artavis Scott
- WR Jason Moore
- RB Detrez Newsome
- WR Andre Patton
- TE Matt Sokol
Broncos Claim QB Brandon Allen
The Broncos have claimed quarterback Brandon Allen off waivers, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Allen was dropped by the Rams on Saturday, making him available to the league’s 31 other teams.
Allen is now set to serve as Joe Flacco‘s primary backup. Drew Lock was supposed to be the top clipboard holder, but a hand injury will keep him sidelined for a while. Kevin Hogan, an internal candidate to fill that void, was dropped over the weekend.
In addition to Allen, the Broncos have also been awarded the following players off waivers:
- TE Andrew Beck (Patriots)
- C Corey Levin (Titans)
- WR Diontae Spencer (Steelers)
Broncos To Sign Corey Nelson
Corey Nelson will sign with the Broncos, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). It’s a homecoming for the linebacker, who played in Denver from 2014-2017.
Nelson, 27, was released by the Bucs this week as they trimmed their roster to meet the 53-man maximum. He did his finest work with the Broncos, including the 2016 season in which he tallied 61 total tackles across 16 games (six starts). And, following the 2015 season, Nelson helped the Broncos capture a Super Bowl ring.
This might not be the Broncos’ only reunion of the week – they’re also interested in signing wide receiver Demaryius Thomas.
Patriots To Bring Back Demaryius Thomas?
The Patriots cut free agent signee Demaryius Thomas yesterday, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says the door is open for Thomas to re-sign with the team. Indeed, Reiss says “there is an expectation” that Thomas will return to New England.
The longtime Broncos star is on the back nine of his career, but his strong route running could make him a productive role player in the Pats’ precision offense. He is still working his way back from an Achilles tear that he suffered in December, and he played in the Patriots’ preseason finale Thursday, his first game action since the injury. He looked good against fringe NFLers, compiling seven catches for 87 yards and two scores.
Reiss suggests that New England’s decision to release Thomas allowed the team to keep punt returner Gunner Olszewski, who, unlike Thomas, would have had to clear waivers if he had been cut. The move also allowed the Pats to include rookie wideout N’Keal Harry on the initial 53-man roster, which will make him eligible to return later in the season if he is forced to go on IR. Harry has been sidelined since suffering an injury in the preseason opener.
But if the Pats do want Thomas back, they could have some competition. A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the Broncos — whose WR depth chart is generally very green — are interested in a reunion.
Broncos Trim Roster To 53
The Denver Broncos made a slew of moves today to get down to 53 players. Notably, the team will place rookie second-round quarterback Drew Lock on injured reserve, meaning he’ll have to miss at least the first eight games of the season as he recovers from his thumb injury. The team cut journeyman Kevin Hogan and UDFA Brett Rypien, leaving them without a quarterback behind Joe Flacco. GM John Elway has said they’ll sign a veteran to backup Flacco for now, and we’ve already heard they’re interested in Brian Hoyer.
There weren’t too many surprises that we didn’t already know of. Brendan Langley, a 2017 third-round pick, failed to make the team. He was drafted as a cornerback, but switched to receiver earlier this offseason after he didn’t pan out on defense.
Here’s the full list of other moves:
Waived:
FB George Aston
T Quinn Bailey
WR Trinity Benson
OL Jake Brendel
WR Fred Brown
LB Jamal Carter
WR Steven Dunbar Jr.
OLB Ahmad Gooden
RB Devontae Jackson
CB Trey Johnson
G/C Sam Jones
OL Tyler Jones
T John Leglue
DL Deyon Sizer
CB Linden Stephens
Broncos Interested In Brian Hoyer
Shortly after cutting Kevin Hogan, the Broncos look set to pursue a more experienced Joe Flacco backup.
The team is interested in Brian Hoyer, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Patriots released Hoyer earlier Saturday, giving their backup gig to Jarrett Stidham.
Hoyer began the 2017 season as the 49ers’ starter, working in Kyle Shanahan‘s system under QBs coach Rich Scangarello. With Scangarello now being the Broncos’ OC, this would be a natural fit. The Broncos are also unlikely to have Drew Lock available for several weeks, due to an injury the second-round pick suffered in a game against the 49ers earlier this month.
Hoyer, 33, made six starts for the 49ers two seasons ago. None of those resulted in wins, but the Broncos only have UDFA Brett Rypien as a healthy passer behind Flacco now. Given Flacco’s recent injury history, it would make sense for the team to have a more seasoned option at QB2 while Lock recovers.
Broncos To Cut QB Kevin Hogan
The Broncos will go with a young contingent behind Joe Flacco. Incumbent quarterback Kevin Hogan will not make their 53-man roster, with Mike Klis of 9News reporting (via Twitter) the fourth-year veteran will be cut.
Hogan served as Case Keenum‘s backup for most of last season, catching on with the Broncos via waiver claim. He ascended to the QB2 spot after Chad Kelly‘s release. This year, the Broncos drafted Drew Lock and added Brett Rypien as a UDFA.
Lock is set to miss several weeks due to an injury to his throwing hand, and it looks like Rypien will either become Flacco’s backup or the Broncos will look elsewhere for their top signal-caller reserve. Brian Hoyer did not make the Patriots’ roster. He spent time in new Denver OC Rich Scangarello‘s system in 2017, beginning that season as the 49ers’ starter. The Patriots released Hoyer earlier today.
Hogan is not yet a vested veteran and will head to waivers. He last attempted a regular-season pass for the 2017 Browns.