Browns: 3 things the raised salary cap in 2022 allows Cleveland to do

Not skimp on future acquisitions

The extended salary cap is also going to help the Browns deal with any potential holes they see. It turns out no matter how well you draft or how well you sign guys, there’s always going to be a position or three you can upgrade somehow. Whether it’s because of injuries, prospects failed to produce or you simply had to let a guy go who priced himself out of a contract, i.e. Joe Schobert.

That means that the Browns and all other 31 teams will have to keep salary-cap space to some degree in order to make signings as needed to try and fill holes as they develop. No team is ever fully completed. It’s up to the team to make sure as players decline or move on that you’re able to upgrade the position or just stabilize it as needed.

For instance, the Browns have a lot of depth at receiver but what if Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones don’t pan out, while KhaDarrel Hodge and Rashad Higgins leave in free agency, all while Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham succumb to injuries. All of a sudden, the receiving corp is quite depleted and the Browns are going to need to make moves in free agency to help stabilize the unit.

Now, that was a for instance, but things can radically change for a team in an instant and if you’ve paid attention to teams in the past, you know this is the case. A few key guys leave or decline and all of a sudden everything goes to mush. Keeping salary cap flexibility is key over the long run.