Washington salary cap update

July 19, 2023

by Steve Thomas

As we anxiously await the all-important July 20 date, which will hopefully be the end of the Tiny Tyrant’s reign of destruction in DC, I thought I’d take an otherwise slow day to do a quick salary cap update, by position group, under the Rule of 51.

Quarterback: Washington has 4 quarterbacks on the roster, but only two of them, Jacoby Brissett and Sam Howell, count under the Rule of 51.  Those two count for $9.46M under the Rule of 51.  In total, counting all four, the team has obligated 4.86% of the cap for this group.

Running backs:  Washington has 6 running backs on the roster for a total of $6.2M against the cap under the Rule of 51.  Of this group, only Antonio Gibson has a significant cap hit at a little over $3M.  In total, counting all 6, this group occupies 3.45% of the cap.

Wide receivers:  Washington has 12 receivers under contract for a combined $30.77M under the Rule of 51.  Taking up the bulk of the space are Curtis Samuel at $13M, superstar Terry McLaurin at $11M, and 2022 first round pick Jahan Dotson at $3.4M.  This group counts for 15.37% of the cap, counting all 12.

Tight ends:  Washington has 6 tight ends who count for a total of $10.77M under the Rule of 51.  Logan Thomas is the big money player at $8.675M.  This group occupies a total of 5.77% of the salary cap, including everyone.

Tackles:  Counting Samuel Cosmi and Saahdiq Charles, Washington has 11 tackles on the roster, for a total of $25.7M against the cap under the Rule of 51.  The big money tackles are Charles Leno at $12.5M, Cornelius Lucas at $4.3M, and Andrew Wylie at $4.17M.  In total, Washington has obligated about 10.5% of the cap to the tackles, including all 11.

Guards and centers:  Washington has 6 guards and centers (not including Cosmi and Charles) for a total of $5.3M under the Rule of 51.  Only Nick Gates and Tyler Larsen are over the minimum, at $3.2M and $1.09M, respectively.  This group counts for 3.45% of the cap, counting all 6.

Defensive line:  Washington has 16 defensive lineman on the roster (including 7th round pick Andre Jones) for a total of $60.1M against the cap under the Rule of 51. The team obviously has multiple big-money players in this position group, including Jonathan Allen at $21.1M, Montez Sweat at $11.5M, Chase Young at $10.99M, and Daron Payne at $8.6M.  The team has obligated a frankly ridiculous amount of cap space to this group, a total of 28.6%, counting all 16.

Linebackers:  Washington currently only employs 7 linebackers (not including Jones, but including Ferrod Gardner) for a total of $9.85M under the Rule of 51.  Jamin Davis, Cody Barton, and Khaleke Hudson are at $3.7M, $3.5M, and $1.5M, respectively.  This group occupies a total of 5.44% of the salary cap, including all 7.

Defensive backs:  Washington has a total of 19 defensive backs on the roster, for a combined total of $25M under the Rule of 51.  Kendall Fuller has the biggest cap his at $11.6M.  Rookies Emmanuel Forbes and Jartavius Martin apparently haven’t signed yet but are going to count for a combined total of $4.19M against the cap.  Of the corners, Benjamin St-Juste counts for $1.1M and Danny Johnson counts for $2.35M.  Amongst the safeties, Camren Curl has a $2.99M cap hit, and Jeremy Reaves’ cap hit is $2.6M.  In total, the defensive backs count for a combined 13.74%, including all 19.

Specialists:  Punter Tress Way, kicker Joey Slye, and long snapper Camaron Cheeseman have a total combined cap hit of $6.8M, which is 2.97% of the salary cap.

Dead cap:  Washington’s salary cap is burdened by $23M in dead cap.

In total, Washington’s payroll under the Rule of 51 is approximately $218M, and they have approximately $11M in free space.