PFR Originals News & Rumors

Most clubs have fairly set rosters at this point, as OTA, minicamp, and preseason performances won’t do much to alter roster composition. The majority of key releases came in March, but there are still several scenarios where certain contributors could lose their roster spot in the coming months. For the most part, we’ll focus on situations where the cap savings would be in excess of $1MM.

Because free agency has already passed, financial ramifications won’t play a huge role in these decisions; there aren’t a ton of high-profile free agents on which to spend that saved money, so these calls will mostly be made based on performance. However, any cap space saved through these potential releases could be rolled over into 2016, so that’s something clubs have to consider.

After looking at the AFC East yesterday, let’s dive into the NFC East…

Dallas Cowboys:

• Mackenzy Bernadeau, G: The 29-year-old Bernadeau renegotiated his contract last spring, accepting a $2.9MM pay cut in the process. After Dallas selected Zack Martin in last year’s draft, Bernadeau went on to act in a reserve role, and saw only 75 snaps. Now that undrafted free agent La’El Collins is penciled in as the starting left guard, incumbent Ronald Leary will be demoted to act as the top reserve interior lineman, further limiting Bernadeau’s role. The Cowboys could save $1.5MM by releasing him, but I think they’ll keep him around for depth purposes. Prediction: not released.
• Brandon Carr, CB: It’s been a strange offseason for the Cowboys and Carr, as he indicated in March that he would not accept a pay cut, a stance that Dallas has seemingly accepted. However, owner Jerry Jones has continued to say that the club wants to lower Carr’s cap number (presumably through an extension), but given Carr’s subpar play, I’m not sure tacking on extra years to his deal would be wise. The Cowboys have decent cornerback depth after drafting Byron Jones in the first round, but Jerry Jones has been adamant that the team won’t release Carr. Prediction: not released.

New York Giants:

• Jameel McClain, LB: Entering the final season of a two-year deal, McClain could be on the chopping block due to both his salary and his performance. The 29-year-old actually played the second-most snaps among Giants defenders, but graded in the bottom 10 among inside linebackers league-wide, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Additionally, he’s scheduled to count for $3.4MM on New York’s cap in 2015; the club could clear all but $300K of that total by releasing him. The Giants are near the bottom of the NFL in terms of cap space, and they might want a little extra room to make moves throughout the season, so creating a little space here and there through moves like cutting McClain could be in the making. Prediction: released.
• Linebacker Jon Beason and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins each agreed to contract restructures both involved straight pay cuts) earlier this year, or else they likely would have been released.

Philadelphia Eagles:

• Riley Cooper, WR: The Eagles don’t have a ton of obvious cut candidates, and Cooper is the only veteran whose roster spot might come into question. (I thought about adding fellow pass-catcher Miles Austin here, but the club handed him $1MM in guarantees, so he’s probably a good bet to make the final 53.) Cooper took a big step back from his excellent 2014 season, as his yards per reception dropped from 17.8 to 10.5. He doesn’t figure to be a big part of Philadelphia’s offense, but given that the team would incur $3.8MM in dead money (as opposed to just $1MM in savings) by releasing him, Cooper will probably stick around for one more season. Prediction: not released.

Washington:

• DeAngelo Hall: Hall agreed to tweak his contact earlier this year, eliminating the $1MM in salary guarantees he was originally due. He can still earn the same $4MM base salary that he was originally due, but Washington is now off the hook if they decide Hall isn’t not fully recovered from two Achilles tears. Washington has decent corner depth following the signing of Chris Cullier, so Hall isn’t necessarily needed. But the club would save only $2.375MM while incurring $2.438MM in dead money by cutting Hall. Prediction: not released.
• Pierre Garcon, WR: Garcon’s rate stats stayed similar from 2013 to 2014, but his counting stats took a nosedive following the addition of DeSean Jackson. Still, he’s probably not in any real danger of being released — head coach Jay Gruden has been adamant that Garcon is in the club’s plans, and as of February the team hadn’t reached out to his representatives about restructuring his contract. Washington could save $7.5MM by releasing Garcon, however, so I’m guessing it’s a move that has at least been discussed internally. Prediction: not released.
• Kedric Golston, DE: The 32-year-old Golston didn’t play much last season (182 snaps), but still managed to rack up poor -14.3 grade from PFF. The addition of Ricky Jean-Francois means that Golston will see even less time in 2015, and there’s really no reason for the club to pay his $1MM base salary; Washington can save $1.075MM by cutting him. Prediction: released.

Earlier this month, I took a closer look at the top 2015 NFL cap hits by position, checking in on offensive players, defensive players, and special-teamers. Those lists revealed some interesting details about how teams around the NFL are delegating their spending for the 2015 season, with some clubs focusing heavily on certain sides of the ball or specific positions, while others spread out their cap room enough that they barely showed up on any of the top-10 positional lists.

Starting this week, we’ll shift our focus to those individual teams, examining each club’s top 10 cap commitments for the 2015 season. We’ll break it down by division, allowing us to make a few observations about each team’s largest cap numbers for the coming year.

First up? The NFC East. Let’s dive in….

Dallas Cowboys:

1. Tony Romo, QB: $14,973,000
2. Dez Bryant, WR: $12,823,000
3. Brandon Carr, CB: $12,717,000
4. Jason Witten, TE: $8,512,000
5. Sean Lee, LB: $5,450,000
6. Morris Claiborne, CB: $5,175,069
7. Miles Austin, WR: $5,106,200 (dead money)
8. Tyron Smith, LT: $5,039,000
9. Orlando Scandrick, CB: $4,382,271
10. Doug Free, RT: $3,980,000 (dead money)
    Total: $78,157,540

Of the four teams in the NFC East, only the Cowboys have multiple dead money charges within their top 10 cap hits for the coming year. Unlike Austin, Free is still on the roster, but his previous deal voided after the 2014 season, leaving some dead money on Dallas’ books while the club signed him to a new contract. If we take into account Free’s new contract, which has a $3MM cap number this year, he’s counting for nearly $7MM against the Cowboys’ cap.

Elsewhere on the list, the Cowboys devote significant cap room to the positions you’d expect — quarterback, wide receiver, left tackle, and cornerback. There are no Russell Wilson-esque bargains in the East, where three of the four teams have their quarterbacks at No. 1 on their list of 2015 cap commitments. As such, it makes sense that cornerbacks would be high on each club’s list as well. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their two highest-paid CBs have either had trouble staying on the field or haven’t been as effective as anticipated, given their price tags.

Bryant’s and Carr’s cap charges could change before the regular season begins, if the former reaches a long-term agreement with the club or the latter agrees to rework his contract.

New York Giants:

1. Eli Manning, QB: $19,750,000
2. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE: $14,813,000
3. Victor Cruz, WR: $8,125,000
4. Will Beatty, LT: $8,050,000
5. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB: $7,250,000
6. Prince Amukamara, CB: $6,898,000
7. Jon Beason, LB: $4,154,166
8. Jameel McClain, LB: $3,400,000
9. David Baas, C: $3,225,000 (dead money)
10. Steve Weatherford, P: $3,075,000
    Total: $78,740,166

The total cost for the Giants’ top 10 cap hits is nearly $79MM, higher than any other team in the NFC East. That figure is largely impacted by Manning’s cap charge, which is approaching $20MM as he enters the final year of his contract. The club could ultimately reduce that figure if Manning signs an extension this year, but it’s not a necessity.

What’s interesting about the Giants’ list is how many question marks there are here — of course, the team won’t get anything out of Baas, whose cap hit is made up of dead money, but there may be concerns about other players here too. A torn pectoral figures to keep Beatty sidelined until November, and Beason, Amukamara, and Cruz are among the players who are coming off serious, season-ending injuries, though they’re expected to be ready to contribute this fall. The Giants’ success this year may hinge significantly on whether those high-priced players are fully recovered.

Also worth noting: New York is the only team in the NFC East with a special teams player in its top 10 cap hits for 2015, as Weatherford sneaks onto the list.

Philadelphia Eagles:

1. Sam Bradford, QB: $12,985,000
2. Jason Peters, LT: $9,050,000
3. Byron Maxwell, CB: $8,700,000
4. Connor Barwin, OLB: $7,000,000
5. Brandon Graham, OLB: $6,000,000
6. Malcolm Jenkins, S: $5,666,666
7. Lane Johnson, RT: $5,225,974
8. DeMarco Murray, RB: $5,000,000
9. Brent Celek, TE: $4,800,000
10. Riley Cooper, WR: $4,800,000
    Total: $69,227,640

One silver lining of the exodus of highly-paid veterans like DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Evan Mathis, and Jeremy Maclin? The total cost of the Eagles’ top 10 cap hits for 2015 is the lowest in their division, at just over $69MM, allowing the club to spread out moderate salaries to more players further down on the roster. While the Cowboys and Giants have multiple players with cap numbers exceeding $12MM, the Eagles’ second-largest hit barely surpasses $9MM.

The work the Eagles did this past offseason is reflected heavily on this list, as major free agent signings like Maxwell and Murray show up here. Even Graham, who has spent his career with the Eagles, can be considered a free agent addition since he talked to other teams before returning to Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, I was a little surprised to see Celek and Cooper, a pair of steady but unspectacular veteran pass catchers, crack the top 10 here. Younger, cheaper players like Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor may end up producing better numbers, but if Bradford is going to succeed in Philadelphia, he’ll likely need the veterans to chip in as well.

Washington:

1. Trent Williams, LT: $14,230,393
2. Pierre Garcon, WR: $9,700,000
3. Desean Jackson, WR: $9,250,000
4. Ryan Kerrigan, OLB: $7,038,000
5. Robert Griffin III, QB: $6,719,713
6. Jason Hatcher, DT: $5,203,125
7. DeAngelo Hall, CB: $4,812,500
8. Kory Lichtensteiger, C: $4,300,000
9. Chris Culliver, CB: $4,250,000
10. Stephen Paea, DT: $4,250,000
    Total: $69,753,731

Like Philadelphia, Washington has some new additions show up on its list, and the money spent on Culliver and Paea reflects the team’s dedication to investing in and improving its defense. Still, the club’s top three cap numbers belong to offensive players, including a pair of wide receivers.

The fact that Washington is the only franchise in the NFC East without an expensive quarterback allows for a little more spending flexibility elsewhere, but the team’s QB situation is also arguably the shakiest in the division. One might wonder if it’s worth dedicating so much cap room to playmaking receivers like Garcon and Jackson, when it’s not clear which of Washington’s quarterbacks is capable of consistently getting them the ball.

As for the No. 1 player on this list, Williams is in the final year of his contract, so we could see his number reduced if he signs an extension. Either way, he’ll likely be much further down on next year’s top 10 list, if he’s on it at all.

Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.