5 Broncos players who could become cap casualties next week

These five veteran players could become cap casualties when the Broncos begin roster cuts next week.

After wrapping up preseason on Sunday, the Denver Broncos will turn their attention toward trimming the roster from 91 players down to a 53-man roster by Tuesday’s deadline.

Before the roster cuts begin next week, here’s a quick look at five veterans who could become cap casualties in 2024.

1. QB Jarrett Stidham: After naming Bo Nix their starting quarterback, the Broncos have to choose between Stidham and Zach Wilson as their QB2. Wilson is three years younger and cheaper than Stidham ($2.7 million compared to $7 million). If the Broncos release Stidham, the team would save $5,000,000.

2. RB Samaje Perine: Denver has a crowded backfield with several young, promising running backs. That could leave Perine as the odd man out. Perine will turn 29 next month the Broncos will save $3,000,000 if he’s cut.

3. CB Tremon Smith: Denver is also crowded at cornerback and the team could save $2,500,000 if Smith is released. Fortunately for Smith, he is a key special teams player, so he might be safe.

4. P Riley Dixon: Trenton Gill is five years younger than Dixon and he’s $1.05 million chapter. If the Broncos release Dixon, the team would save $1,735,000.

5. CB Damarri Mathis: If Smith does make the team, it might come at the expense of Mathis’ roster spot. Pat Surtain, Ja’Quan McMillian, Riley Moss and Kris Abrams-Draine seem to be locks, and Levi Wallace is a steady veteran. Add in Smith and that’s six CBs. If Denver cuts Mathis, it would save $985,000.

We will track all of the team’s roster moves next week on Broncos Wire.

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20 NFL cap casualties the Falcons should consider in free agency

Looking at 20 recent NFL cap casualties the Falcons should consider in free agency

If you want to understand what a brutal business the NFL is, watch what happens in the week leading up to free agency. Even with the league increasing the salary cap by a record $30 million in 2024, teams are cutting former Pro Bowlers like it’s going out of style.

The Seahawks cut half of their starting secondary, the Broncos willingly took an $85 million dead cap hit to get rid of quarterback Russell Wilson and the Buffalo Bills are cutting everyone not named Josh Allen. Having so much extra talent on the market will benefit teams with healthy salary caps, such as the Atlanta Falcons.

With a heavy emphasis on the secondary, here are 20 recent cap casualties the Falcons should look at in free agency:

5 Broncos players who could become cap casualties this offseason

The Broncos could save more than $32 million in salary cap space if they cut these five players this offseason.

As the Denver Broncos approach NFL free agency, the team has around $13.6 million in projected salary cap space, which isn’t much to work with. Broncos general manager George Paton could create additional cap space by restructuring select contracts and by cutting select players with big cap hits.

An example of a cap casualty in the NFL is when a team parts ways with a player simply to create more salary cap space. It doesn’t mean the player isn’t talented — in fact, some of the game’s top players have been cap casualties when clubs begin rebuilding.

Here’s a quick look at five players who could become cap casualties for Denver this offseason. The resulting “dead money” cap hits and net cap savings are provided courtesy of OverTheCap.com.

Raiders potential 2022 offseason cuts and cap casualties

The Raiders are currently sitting at a shade over $20 million in cap space. Here are seven players whose cuts would offer them them some relief.

Over the next month or so the Raiders have a lot of decisions to make with regard to their roster. Who to keep and who to cut are among the first concerns. I detailed who should be their priority to re-sign recently. Now let’s look at the players who could be cut.

The Raiders currently have a shade over $20 million to spend under a projected $208 million salary cap in 2022. And they have the aforementioned re-signings to deal with along with extensions to think about for the likes of Maxx Crosby, Hunter Renfrow, and Trayvon Mullen. And then of course there’s the matter of adding outside free agents.

For those purposes, I have listed seven players whose cuts would net the Raiders an additional $17.6 million without factoring in post-June 1st designations as that money wouldn’t become available until after June 1 anyway. As much as another $10 million could be freed up with June 1 designations.

It’s all on Adam Trautman to lead the Saints tight ends in 2021

New Orleans Saints tight end Adam Trautman has big shoes to fill after Jared Cook and Josh Hill were released as salary cap casualties.

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It was widely expected to see the New Orleans Saints move on from Jared Cook after his frustrating two years in black and gold, but the decision to cut Josh Hill as a salary cap casualty was surprising. It left the Saints with just three tight ends under contract for 2021: practice squad holdovers Garrett Griffin and Ethan Wolf, and second-year pro Adam Trautman. Trautman, a third round draft pick in 2020, is now on top of the depth chart. Taysom Hill shouldn’t be overlooked, but he lined up as an inline tight end just 46 times last season per Pro Football Focus.

Trautman led the group in total snaps played last season, with 547 (393 on offense, 154 on special teams). Hill finished second, having missed time with an injury, with 478 (359 on offense, 119 on special teams), while all 466 of Cook’s snaps were on offense. So the rookie had plenty of opportunities to learn on the job.

While he didn’t see much NFL-quality competition at Dayton, his college receiving stats are eye-popping: 178 receptions for 2,295 receiving yards with 31 touchdown catches. He made the most of his 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame and short-area speed (timing a 1.65-second 10-yard split and 6.78-second time in the three-cone drill) to bully lesser athletes. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill noted that he excelled on crossing and out routes, as well as hitches, with encouraging results on seam routes further downfield.

What’s impressive is how much he was able to do as a blocker in his rookie year. Trautman was a big help in the run game especially later in the season, which was unexpected given he was marketed as more of a receiver than a blocker on college scouting reports. His early aptitude on the ground suggests he can continue to be an asset there while taking on more responsibilities in the passing game.

So will the Trautman experiment work out? There’s plenty of reasons to think he’ll step up and succeed, but let’s temper those expectations a bit. He finished ninth on the team in targets (16), totaling 15 receptions for 171 receiving yards and just one touchdown catch. Asking him to triple those numbers would be a tall task, but that’s what it would take for him to approach 500 receiving yards. And don’t underestimate the loss of his position coach Dan Campbell, who’s now head coach of the Detroit Lions.

If the Saints are going to remain competitive in the post-Drew Brees (and post-Josh Hill and -Jared Cook) era, it’ll take young players on salary cap-friendly contracts like Trautman meeting, if not beating, expectations. He’s on the fast track to doing just that; let’s see if he can pull it off.

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Should the Falcons sign former Titans WR Adam Humphries?

The NFL’s cap casualty season has begun as teams attempt to create space for the new league year. Atlanta was forced to release free safety Ricardo Allen and defensive end Allen Bailey.

The NFL’s cap casualty season has begun as teams attempt to create space for the new league year. The Atlanta Falcons were forced to release free safety Ricardo Allen and defensive end Allen Bailey last week.

Since the 2021 salary cap is going down from last year, there will likely be more cuts than normal this offseason. Many of these players will have to prove they can still play and therefore, sign one-year contracts that are typically team friendly.

Without much money to spend in free agency, the Falcons are going to have to raid the bargain bin for affordable, productive players. One name that could interest the team if he’s willing to sign for cheap is wide receiver Adam Humphries.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Tennessee Titans are releasing the 27-year-old wideout just two years after signing him to a four-year, $36 million contract.

The #Titans are releasing WR Adam Humphries, source said.

The move saves Tennessee about $4.47M in cap space, and Humphries — a big-ticket signing two years ago who's still only 27 — gets a jump start on the market.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 25, 2021

Arthur Smith took over as offensive coordinator for the Titans in 2019, the same year Humphries arrived in Tennessee as a free agent. Over the last two seasons, Humphries was okay, but not the rapidly-improving player he looked to be when the Titans signed him.

In 19 games in Tennessee, Humphries had 60 catches, 602 receiving yards and four touchdowns — which were fewer yards than he had in each of the previous three seasons in Tampa Bay.

Still, on a more team-friendly contract, Humphries would be a smart pickup for Atlanta. He’s familiar with Smith’s system and has a ton of experience as a kick and punt returner.

If the price is right, it’s a good fit for both parties.

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Should the Falcons sign former Titans WR Adam Humphries?

The NFL’s cap casualty season has begun as teams attempt to create space for the new league year. Atlanta was forced to release free safety Ricardo Allen and defensive end Allen Bailey.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Tennessee Titans are releasing the 27-year-old wideout just two years after signing him to a four-year, $36 million contract.

The #Titans are releasing WR Adam Humphries, source said.

The move saves Tennessee about $4.47M in cap space, and Humphries — a big-ticket signing two years ago who's still only 27 — gets a jump start on the market.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 25, 2021

In 19 games in Tennessee, Humphries had 60 catches, 602 receiving yards and four touchdowns — which were fewer yards than he had in each of the previous three seasons in Tampa Bay.

Still, on a more team-friendly contract, Humphries would be a smart pickup for Atlanta. He’s familiar with Smith’s system and has a ton of experience as a kick and punt returner.

If the price is right, it’s a good fit for both parties.

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Updating list of cap casualties around NFL during 2021 offseason

A simple list of veteran players cut this season. The Packers could look to this list to find cheap veterans to add this offseason.

Last November, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he wanted “some flexibility” to explore the market come March, when teams across the NFL would need to cut veterans with big salaries to get in a better position financially before the start of the new league year.

The idea? To have some spending power in case the team finds a handful of cap casualties they’d like to sign for cheap in what should be a flooded market of veterans potentially looking for discounted one-year deals. The salary cap is shrinking during this unique offseason, leaving open the possibility of smart teams adding good players at rental prices in March.

Here’s an updating list of cap casualties made around the league, providing a closer look at the specific board of available veteran players that the Packers could dip into over the next month or so:

Atlanta Falcons

S Ricardo Allen
DL Allen Bailey

Baltimore Ravens

RB Mark Ingram

Buffalo Bills

CB E.J. Gaines

Carolina Panthers

DL Kawann Short
S Tre Boston
P Michael Palardy
DE Stephen Weatherly

Denver Broncos

CB A.J. Bouye
DL Kyle Peko

Green Bay Packers

LB Christian Kirksey
OT Rick Wagner

Houston Texans

DL J.J. Watt

New Orleans Saints

G Nick Easton

Philadelphia Eagles

WR Desean Jackson

Seattle Seahawks

OL Chance Warmack
TE Luke Willson

List will update as more players around the NFL are released.

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4 potential Chargers cap casualties this offseason

The Los Angeles Chargers have plenty of cap space in 2021 but they can still make room for more.

The Chargers are sitting pretty in salary cap space available heading into the offseason. However, if the team sees some opportunities to land a few big-name free agents while re-signing a few of their own, they would likely need to free up some money.

To do that, Los Angeles would need to deal some players that are still under contract. With that being said, here are four players that they could consider releasing as they head into the offseason.

G Trai Turner

After being acquired in a trade that involved tackle Russell Okung, the thought was that Turner was going to be an immediate upgrade at the right guard spot. However, the five-time Pro Bowler failed to live up to expectations. Turner missed seven games and when he was on the field, his play was lackluster. While he could turn things around next season, Los Angeles might be better off finding his replacement elsewhere based on the previous results. If the Chargers released him before June 1, they would save $11.5 million in cap savings.

CB Casey Hayward

Hayward was touted as one the team’s best defenders heading into the season after consistently performing at a high level the past few seasons. However, Hayward wasn’t one that was able to be relied on every Sunday. This past season, Hayward allowed 36 catches on 75 targets for 610 yards (16.9 yards per reception). A reason for the decline in his play could be the various injuries he sustained throughout the year and sporadic scheme changes. If the Chargers were to release him, they would save $9.75 million.

CB Chris Harris, Jr.

Like Turner and Hayward, Harris was hampered by a severe injury that kept him out a total of seven games. When he was on the field, Harris allowed 27 receptions on 38 targets (71.1 completion percentage) for 394 yards. There’s a good chance that the reasoning for his underwhelming season had to do with the injury and the team could be banking on a bounce-back season, especially under coach Brandon Staley and defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill, both of whom he’s familiar with. If the Bolts did cut Harris, they would save $7.5 million.

WR Mike Williams

Williams has a $15.68 million cap hit on his fifth-year option. Considering the former No. 7 overall pick has flashed but has never reached his full potential, the Chargers may consider looking elsewhere to fill the No. 2 spot behind Keenan Allen. General manager Tom Telesco could restructure his contract. But given their amount of cap space, Los Angeles may be willing to keep Williams at that price to further quarterback Justin Herbert’s candidates.

11 cut candidates the Rams could be interested in this offseason

Which players could interest the Rams if cut by their current teams?

The Los Angeles Rams have been hard at work preparing for not only free agency and the NFL draft, but also examining which players could be cut by other teams this offseason. It’s an important part of roster-building because there are quality players cut by teams each and every year for financial reasons.

Some have already been determined, such as Nigel Bradham, Paul Richardson, Josh Norman and Vernon Hargraves, but we’re looking at 11 other players who could be cut this offseason that would potentially interest the Rams.

They’re grouped by position, beginning with inside linebackers.

LB Avery Williamson

Williamson missed the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL and could now be out in New York. It was a freak injury, as he played all but one game in his career prior to that point. Coming from a 3-4 defense, he’d slide in seamlessly at inside linebacker if Cory Littleton were to leave. He’s certainly someone the Rams should call immediately if he’s cut by the Jets.

LB Dont’a Hightower

Bill Belichick has always been one to move on from a player a year early rather than a year late, and Hightower could be the latest example of that. He’ll be 30 in March and is on the decline of his career, but he’d still be the Rams’ best linebacker if Littleton doesn’t return. His versatility as a pass rusher provides added value, too. The Rams got a good taste of his ability in Super Bowl LIII and he’s coming off a season with 71 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

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