Browns: 4 players under contract who should not be brought back

The Cleveland Browns have plenty of cap space for 2021 but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to be back as cuts or trades can happen to anyone.

The Cleveland Browns have several key priorities for 2021, namely clearing up any confusion over the direction of the offense with its established talents, signing guys like Nick Chubb and Wyatt Teller to new deals, while investing a metric ton of time and money on rebuilding a putrid defense.

So while on paper the Browns have plenty of money to spend, the fact is two key players need new deals soon, and a third, Baker Mayfield, will need one after the 2022 season. That means some players are going to be cap casualties.

These are the four likeliest players to either be cut or traded and how much (if any) money it’ll cost them to move on.

Chris Hubbard

This isn’t an indictment against Chris Hubbard as a player, in fact, quite the contrary, he’s earned himself a starting job in the NFL again after the way he filled in for Wyatt Teller. That said, the Browns are spending a lot of money on backups and perpetually injured players and if the team is going to keep its core pieces in place, some people have to go.

If the Browns were to cut or trade Hubbard before June first, they’ll save $2.783 million against the cap while also eating $2.266 which will still count. After a June 1 trade, the Browns will save $3.916 million this year and will have to eat $2.266 over the next two years ($1.133 mil in ’21 and ’22). That number makes it very likely that Hubbard gets let go, especially with Michael Dunn and Blake Hance exploding on the scene in the playoffs. If the Browns decide they want to lock up Wyatt Teller or Nick Chubb this year, it’s very possible they move on from Hubbard.