The Cleveland Browns have a salary cap problem heading into the offseason, and the current roster is unlikely to arrive at training camp without losing a couple of important contributors along the way.
Spencer German of Sports Illustrated on Wednesday, January 17, compiled a list of the top four potential salary cap casualty candidates on Cleveland’s roster. Among them was wide receiver Elijah Moore, who the team acquired ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Moore had an up and down season after coming over to Cleveland from the [New York] Jets via a trade in late March. There were massive expectations heaped on him almost immediately as the Browns unveiled an Elijah Moore package during training camp. The on-the-field output just never seemed to materialize though, especially when Watson was under center, as the 2021 second-round pick caught just two touchdowns all season.
There’s no guarantee [GM Andrew] Berry and company want to move on from Moore after giving up a second round pick of their own to acquire him. Doing so, however, would save Cleveland nearly $1.9 million with no dead cap hit in 2024.
Browns Can Justify Cutting WR Elijah Moore, Despite Trading for Him Ahead of 2023 NFL Draft
Bailing on a player for less than $2 million in savings just one year after surrendering a second-round pick to acquire him is rarely, if ever, good business. However, the full details of the trade make the notion of cutting Moore considerably less offensive.
The Browns did give up their No. 42 overall pick in the 2023 draft to acquire the wideout, though they also brought back the Jets’ No. 74 overall selection in the third round. As such, the price for Moore was a one-round, 25-spot pick swap and not pick with full second-round value.
Because of that — combined with the salary cap constraints Cleveland is facing, currently $13.86 million in the red — moving on from a player like Moore for the savings is, at least, a reasonable consideration.
Elijah Moore Has 1 More Cost-Controlled Year Before Hitting Free Agency
Moore wasn’t overly crucial to the Browns’ offensive success last season, though he did put up career-highs in targets (104), receptions (59) and receiving yards (640), per Pro Football Reference. He added 2 TDs and was the team’s clear-cut No. 2 option in the wide receiver room by season’s end.
If Moore remains in Cleveland, the Browns will probably need to add a wideout with a talent floor above Moore’s to pair alongside Amari Cooper in order to keep pace with the upper-echelon of the AFC. Moore will remain a reasonably-priced slot receiver through at least the 2024 campaign, which is the final season of his four-year, $9 million rookie contract.
Moore will undoubtedly be looking for sizable raise on a multiyear deal when he comes up for free agency in March 2025, which could mark the end of his time in Cleveland anyway, as the Browns will remain a cap-strapped organization for the next three seasons — also known as the life of quarterback Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract.
