[sherck]

So starts the “dead” period of the NFL year – 6 weeks of hopefully NO news about our beloved Colts because if there is news, it is typically negative.

So, we have 90 bodies in camp, lots of optimism about the O-Line, the offense as a whole and our new coaching staff while the defense is a complete mystery. Should be an exciting Training Camp to see how it all shakes out.

About the last way that the team can help itself player-wise will be camp waivers and final cap cut downs. Every year, there are a few “surprise” cuts of good players whom someone younger and cheaper has taken their job. Quite a few teams are up against the cap so cutting a higher paid veteran and getting (hopefully) the same performance out of a younger player is always a good move.

So, where to the Colts stand on their ability to potentially pay the salary of a surprise cut? Read below to find out (okay, seriously, I get excited by this stuff)!

Maximum Cap Allowance:

$177.200m = 2018 NFL Salary Cap
$016.837m = 2017 Colts Cap Roll-over
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$194.037m = 2018 Colts Salary Cap

Current Cap Charges:

$139.268m = Current Top 51 Contracts
$000.363m = Injured Reserve (Johnathan Calvin)
$001.932m = Dead Money
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$141.563m = Current Cap Obligations

Projected Future Cap Charges:

$001.382m = Signing Darius Leonard & Braden Smith and kicking 2 guys counting $630k against the cap
$001.260m = Counting #52 and #53 on active roster
$001.200m = Practice Squad
$003.000m = In-Season “Churn” space to hire new players to replace those who go on IR
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$006.842m

$045.632m = Free Cap Space with which to hire new talent

However, there is one further complication and that is that there are a number of folks whom currently make less than the top 51 or 53 paid players on the roster whom I am pretty darn sure are going to make the final roster and thus displacing higher paid folks.

Currently, the 51st highest paid player on the team has a cap hit of $630,000 and there are 13 folks making that amount. 8 are currently counting against the cap (taking us to 51 total) while 5 are not. If lower paid players make the final roster, they will do so by displacing higher paid players and this will INCREASE our available cap space. This imprecise list of lower paid players whom I think will make the final 53-man roster includes:

$621,000 = LB Anthony Walker Jr.
$621,000 = CB Nate Hairston
$559,000 = P Rigberto Sanchez
$555,000 = TE Erik Swoope (assuming he is healthy)
$555,000 = CB Kenny Moore
$540,000 = RB Jordan Wilkins
$540,000 = WR Daurice Fountain
$521,000 = WR Deon Cain
$505,000 = LB Matthew Adams
$501,000 = LB Zaire Franklin

The list of higher paid players (currently in our top 51) whom, IMO, are not locks to make our final roster:

$2,500,000 = DT Magus Hunt
$1,907,000 = OL Mark Glowinski
$1,907,000 = DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
$0,790,000 = DT Caraun Reid
$0,759,000 = LB Antonio Morrison
$0,705,000 = DE Chris McCain
$0,705,000 = DE Anthony Johnson
$0,705,000 = OT Tyreek Burwell
$0,639,000 = CB D.J. White
$0,630,000 = WR James White
$0,630,000 = OG Jeremey Vujnovich
$0,630,000 = TE Ross Travis
$0,630,000 = WR Seantavius Jones
$0,630,000 = RB Josh Ferguson
$0,630,000 = RB Christian Michael
$0,630,000 = WR Tyrell Adams

Depending on whom those lower paid players replace, it will realize a cap savings of anywhere from around $800,000 to $5.800m.

So, in the end, the Colts will end up with somewhere between $46m - $50m to spend on potential camp cuts.

Top Ten Cap Savings if Cut: (i.e. a way to increase our available cap space if required)

$9.000m = T.Y. Hilton
$4.368m = Jack Doyle
$4.250m = Jabaal Sheard
$3.281m = John Simon
$2.950m = Austin Howard
$2.500m = Margus Hunt
$2.500m = Al Woods
$2.400m = Anthony Castonzo
$1.907m = Denzell Good
$1.907m = Mark Glowinski
$1.907m = Rakeem Nunez-Roches

Players who are UFA at the end of the 2018-2019 NFL season (and might get extended or new contracts):

Age / Position / Name

45 / PK / Adam Vinatieri
32 / OG / Matt Slauson
31 / OT / Austin Howard
31 / NT / Al Woods
30 / UT / Margus Hunt
28 / RB / Robert Turbin
28 / LB / Najee Goode
27 / WR / Ryan Grant
27 / CB / Pierre Desir
27 / RB / Christie Michael
27 / OT / Denzelle Good
27 / OG / Jack Mewhort
26 / DT / Caraun Reid
26 / DE / Chris McCain
26 / SS / Clayton Geathers
27 / LB / Jeremiah George
26 / OT / Tyreek Burwell
26 / OG / Mark Glowinski
25 / DE / Anthony Johnson
25 / DT / Rakeen Nunez-Roches

Other than Vinatieri (whom I would keep re-signing as long as he wanted to play and he was effective), the only other name on the list that I sort of think is a “must sign” right now is Denzelle Good. Others might play themselves into a contract offer during the 2018 season (Geathers, Desir and Grant are my top choices) but if Good does this year what he has done every other year, then he is worth a good veteran contract.

Not much to do with that $46m - $50m of free cap space this season. I hope Ballard has a plan.

Walk Worthy,