Once again, a season where the Cleveland Browns were hyped up ended in a complete disaster. Of course, injuries played a major factor for the franchise. But now, the Cleveland Browns free agency decisions will be under a microscope. They must nail their decisions on free agents to avoid being last place in the AFC North once again.
Below, we will look at the Browns’ cap space to see how much they have to spend. However, teams can now manipulate the cap to sign nearly any player they would like. We will also go over other Cleveland Browns free agency information, including their own 2022 free agents and define what each type of free agent is.
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Cleveland Browns Cap Space | NFL Free Agency
As of March 10th, the Cleveland Browns cap space ranks near the middle of the NFL. They have roughly $17.9 million in cap space. They have enough money to retain some of the Cleveland Browns free agents. However, they will have to make some tough decisions. The Browns are also not able to make a big splash in free agency, though they can get some budget players to be solid contributors.
Cleveland Browns Free Agents 2022
The following are the 2022 Cleveland Browns free agents as of March 10th.
| Player | Pos | 2022 Team | Type | Snaps |
| Anthony Walker Jr. | LB | UFA | 62.60% | |
| David Njoku | TE | Browns | Franchise | 60.50% |
| Jadeveon Clowney | EDGE | UFA | 60.40% | |
| Blake Hance | RT | Browns | Signed | 58.20% |
| Malik Jackson | IDL | UFA | 57.80% | |
| Malik McDowell | IDL | ERFA | 57.70% | |
| Ronnie Harrison | S | UFA | 52.10% | |
| Rashard Higgins | WR | UFA | 46.00% | |
| Malcolm Smith | LB | UFA | 37.90% | |
| Jack Conklin | RT | Browns | Signed | 32.60% |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | RFA | 31.80% | |
| D’Ernest Johnson | RB | RFA | 29.90% | |
| M.J. Stewart | S | UFA | 29.20% | |
| Takkarist McKinley | EDGE | UFA | 28.50% | |
| Sheldon Day | IDL | UFA | 20.90% | |
| Dustin Colquitt | P | UFA | 19.60% | |
| Ifeadi Odenigbo | EDGE | UFA | 14.60% | |
| Porter Gustin | IDL | RFA | 12.00% | |
| Michael Dunn | LG | Browns | Signed | 11.60% |
| Andy Janovich | FB | UFA | 8.30% | |
| Ja’Marcus Bradley | WR | Browns | Signed | 7.10% |
| Elijah Lee | LB | UFA | 6.50% | |
| Nick Mullens | QB | UFA | 5.10% | |
| Jovante Moffatt | S | Jets | Signed | 4.80% |
| Chris Hubbard | LT | UFA | 3.50% | |
| Dexter Williams | RB | ERFA | 1.70% | |
| Miller Forristall | TE | Browns | Signed | 1.00% |
| John Kelly | RB | Browns | Signed | 0.30% |
| Ryan Switzer | WR | UFA | 0.00% | |
| Stephen Carlson | TE | RFA | 0.00% | |
| Montrel Meander | S | ERFA | 0.00% | |
| Duke Dawson | S | SFA | 0.00% |
Defining the Type of NFL Free Agents
Unrestricted Free Agents
An unrestricted free agent (UFA) can freely talk to or sign with any team after the start of the new league year. Any player with four or more accrued seasons in the NFL can be a UFA.
The net loss and gain of UFAs for a team are used to calculate the next season’s compensatory draft picks, but no other compensation is available to a team that sees a player leave as a UFA.
Restricted Free Agents
A player must have three accrued NFL seasons to be a restricted free agent (RFA). Before the new league year begins, a team can place one of three tenders on a restricted free agent (first, second or original-round tender). Essentially, this gives the player the option to return to the team on a one-year deal.
The RFA is allowed to seek deals with other teams, but the tendering team (original team) has the opportunity to match the offer and keep them. If the tendering team doesn’t match the offer, the signing team may need to give a draft pick according to the level of tender used on the player.
Exclusive-Rights Free Agents
Exclusive-rights free agency (ERFA) is only eligible to players who have two or fewer NFL seasons accrued. Teams can use an ERFA tender to any of these players before the start of the new league year, and it stops the player from negotiating contracts with other teams. The player can sign the tender, which is a one-year deal at their position’s minimum salary, or they can negotiate for a longer extension.
Finally, RFAs or ERFAs who do not receive a tender before the league year begins become “street free agents.” Street free agents have the same rights as UFAs, but they are not counted in the compensatory pick formula.
