In the NFL, there are generally three tiers of teams when it comes to the salary cap: 1) Those who are all in on the season, no matter the cost, 2) Those who are thinking about both this year and the future and 3) Those teams focused almost only on the future salary cap.

The Cleveland Browns went from the first tier over the last few seasons to the second this year as the roster and salary cap needed a bit of a soft reset. The salary cap has continued to see boons over the last few years, including due to a change in how Nielsen Ratings were processed. For the Browns, QB Deshaun Watson’s contract will be a big conversation until his contract is off the books, but even releasing K Dustin Hopkins impacted the team’s salary cap.

Creative teams see the salary cap as an accounting tool that t

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