Cleveland Browns Could Make These Moves To Free Up Cap Space

1) CB, Denzel Ward

When it comes to other players in line for a restructure, Ward is at or near the top of the list. Ward is due $13.4 in base salary pay this season, which could be reduced down to the veteran minimum of $1.25 million.

Doing so would free up a solid chunk of change for Cleveland to add to the $13 million in cap space they already created following the Watson restructure. One nice thing about Ward's contract is that Berry hasn't tacked on a ton of void years yet.

Right now, Ward's deal includes just one void year in 2028 after he restructured his contract last offseason. Doing so again here in 2025 would likely come with one more void year being added in 2029.

2) RT, Jack Conklin

Conklin's situation is similar to Ward's as he's due $14 million in base salary next season. Berry can copy and paste the same strategy from above to create over $10 million in cap space if he wants.

Similarly, that would likely come with a third void year being added to Conklin's deal in 2029. Right now, the dead cap figure that the Browns are on the hook for from the two existing void years in Conklin's contract is a relatively reasonable $4 million.

Berry could certainly add to that by kicking a little more money down the road for later, without making the dead cap hit too bloated.

3) CB , Greg Newsome II

Newsome is one of the more fascinating contract situations on the Browns roster. The 2021 first-round pick is slated to play next season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. That comes with a fully guaranteed base salary of $13.3 million.

Berry could restructure that down to Newsome's vet minimum figure, but then if Newsome isn't re-signed, he'll eat a pretty sizeable dead cap cost next year.

This feels like an opportunity to pivot, perhaps to Cameron Mitchell as the team's next nickle CB and shop Newsome. If Cleveland could find a trade partner willing to take Newsome, it would clear all of his $13 million and make for one less financial commitment to worry about.

4) C, Ethan Pocic

Pocic offers some moderate cap savings with a base salary figure of $5.6 million for the upcoming season. Again, a reduction down to the veteran minimum with another void year added would give the Browns a couple extra million in cap space.

Like Newsome, Pocic is entering the final year of his current deal with Cleveland, so pushing more money into dummy years will increase the dead cap burden on the franchise as soon as next season if he's not re-signed.

That number wouldn't be overly excessive, though, compared to some of the other dead cap figures the Browns have to account for in the coming years.

5) DT, Dalvin Tomlinson

There is very little cap relief that comes from potentially restructuring Tomlinson's contract, but in what is a tricky offseason for Berry, every little bit counts.

Tomlinson is due a base salary of $3 million this season, a number the Browns could easily reduce to that vet minimum and open up nearly $2 million in cap space to use this offseason.

Tomlinson already has several void years tacked onto the end of his deal from previous restructures. Converting some of that base salary figured into bonus money would allow Berry to push a little more money into those dummy years.

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