Browns Rumors: CLE Nears $37M in Cap Space After David Njoku Contract Restructure

The Cleveland Browns restructured the contract of veteran tight end David Njoku on Tuesday, per ESPN's Field Yates and Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, freeing around $2.7 million in cap space in 2023.

That has left the Browns with around $37 million in cap room, the most in the NFL.

Yesterday it was Myles Garrett who saw his deal restructured:

So, what do the Browns have in mind with that cap flexibility?

It's unclear, but one possibility could be reworking or even extending star running back Nick Chubb's contract.

Chubb is in the second year of the three-year, $36.6 million extension he signed with the Browns back in 2021, though the four-time Pro Bowler has arguably outplayed that deal and has no guaranteed money left remaining on the contract after this season.

And Chubb has been one of the prominent running backs to be publicly outspoken about the diminishing market for running backs and was one of the players at the position to join a Zoom call discussing the situation.

He spoke to reporters in late July about that market:

"Well, I mean, right now it's just tough—there's really nothing we can do. We're kind of handcuffed with the situation. The biggest thing is that we're the only position that our production hurts us the most. If we go out there and run for 2,000 yards with so many carries, the next year they're going to say you're probably worn down. That's the biggest thing that I took from it. It's tough. It hurts us just to go out there and do good. It hurts us at the end of the day."

"I feel like I had to be (on that Zoom) … and listen to what everyone's saying, and I feel like it was important for me to be there because we got young guys who'll be up next like (Jonathan Taylor), Najee Harris and J.K. Dobbins. I feel like it was important for them to see my face and to hear my voice there just supporting everyone."

The Browns could also be saving some money in the event they look to make additions in free agency or trade for a disgruntled player holding out.

The two most prominent non-running backs doing so, however, are Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and San Francisco 49ers edge-rusher Nick Bosa, and neither is likely to be traded given the Super Bowl aspirations of those teams.

Additionally, Cabot reported that two sources said "the moves are for cap management purposes and not because they have big acquisitions planned. The bookkeeping moves help keep the cap in check heading into three more years of $46 million base salaries for Deshaun Watson."

Sometimes, the most boring possibility is also the most realistic. Browns fans probably don't want to gear up for a major addition this summer.