I will be doing a series of articles that will be taking a methodical team by team approach to next year’s possible free agents. I will be starting with the team that has the least amount of salary cap space and ending with the team with the most. I will try to give a brief description of as many of the possible free agents as I can. I will also be looking for players that might be salary cap cuts in order for their teams to make room to sign some of these possible free agents. Any information anyone else can contribute on these players would be very much appreciated.
The Cleveland Browns are projected to be $108,951,921 UNDER the cap (all salary info via Over The Cap) for 2017 with 61 players under contract. As of January 1, 2017, OTC has combined the leftover cap space from 2016 with each team’s projected cap space for 2017.
Editor’s note: Linebacker Jamie Collins was due to hit free agency, but signed a four-year extension on Monday.
Dollar figures listed are player’s 2016 cap hits.
34DE Stephen Paea - $1,900,000
Stephen Paea is 28 years old and was originally drafted by the Bears in the second round of the 2011 draft. Paea signed with the Browns in September of 2016. Paea had 12 tackles and 0.5 sacks last season. That is $3.8 million per sack.
RT Austin Pasztor - $1,671,000
Austin Pasztor is 26 years old and was originally picked up by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Pasztor was claimed off of waiver by the Browns in September of 2015. He started all 16 games in 2016 and had a PFF grade of 77.3 which was good enough to be ranked the 34th best guard in the NFL.
WR Terrelle Pryor - $1,671,000
Terrelle Pryor is 27 years old and was originally drafted by the Raiders in the 2011 supplemental draft. The Browns signed him in June of 2015. Pryor had 77 receptions for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns in 2016. Isn’t that the equivalent to having 4,000 yards receiving on the Saints? I can’t imagine the Browns not signing him.
P Britton Colquitt - $1,650,000
Britton Colquitt is 31 years old and was originally picked up by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Colquitt signed with the Browns in September of 2016. We should probably trade for him just because his wife is very hot and would look good on television.
CB Jordan Poyer - $675,000
Jordan Poyer is 25 years old and was originally drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. Poyer was picked up off of waivers in October of 2013. He was put on injured reserve later in October with a lacerated kidney. He had 39 tackles before being injured in 2016. His PFF rating at the time was 70.4 which is pretty average.