Taking a look at the top 10 Cleveland Browns under contract in 2026, NFL salary cap projections and the team’s highest-paid players.
What is there to say about the Cleveland Browns that hasn’t already been used as a punchline over the past couple of decades? Cleveland loves to have one superstar player and fail them, with Myles Garrett currently filling that role. The team has made a change at head coach, leading to a coaching staff overhaul. Is the roster on the right path to becoming competitive, or were the coaching staff changes yet another poor decision?
Below, we will take a look at the 10 best players that the Cleveland Browns still have under contract for next season. We will also look at NFL salary cap projections and the top cap hits on the team in 2026.
All Cleveland Browns salary cap data below is accurate as of February 18th, 2026.
10 Best Cleveland Browns Under Contract in 2026
These are the 10 best players the Cleveland Browns still have under contract for the 2026 season, in the order of their current salary cap hit. For those who know ball, you will recognize that these are the team’s 10 best players and not just the players that journalism nerds think they need to talk about.
- Denzel Ward, CB ($32.9M)
- Myles Garrett, EDGE ($24.7M)
- Mason Graham, DL ($9.3M)
- Grant Delpit, S ($8M)
- Jack Conklin, OT ($5.6M)
- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ($5.4M)
- Tyson Campbell, CB ($4.9M)
- Carson Schwesinger, LB ($2.7M)
- Quinshon Judkins, RB ($2.6M)
- Harold Fannin Jr., TE ($1.5M)
Highest Cleveland Browns Cap Hits in 2026
As things stand today, here is a list of the 10 highest player hits against the Cleveland Browns’ salary cap in 2026. Obviously, contracts can be manipulated, and a player could be cut or traded as well. In the case of a release, we have listed a player’s dead cap. This is how much money they would count against the cap if they are cut from the team.
- QB Deshaun Watson, $80.7M ($131.2M dead cap)
- CB Denzel Ward, $32.9M ($29.7M)
- EDGE Myles Garrett, $24.7M ($102.8M)
- G Joel Bitonio, $23.5M ($23.5M)
- G Wyatt Teller, $21.3M ($21.3M)
- WR Jerry Jeudy, $10.4M ($16.7M)
- TE David Njoku, $9.5M ($24.3M)
- DL Mason Graham, $9.3M ($33.4M)
- S Grant Delpit, $8M ($13M)
- OT Jack Conklin, $5.6M ($12.7M)
NFL Salary Cap Projections 2026
The league has informed teams that the 2026 NFL salary cap will be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team. Below, we will assume a salary cap of $303.45 million, using data from Spotrac.
| Rk | TM | Current Players | Cap Space | Dead Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | 53 | $99,041,638 | $535,657 |
| 2 | LV | 49 | $87,821,212 | $35,238,302 |
| 3 | LAC | 52 | $82,100,325 | $478,183 |
| 4 | NYJ | 51 | $78,990,889 | $88,996,619 |
| 5 | WAS | 52 | $66,506,531 | $12,592,731 |
| 6 | SEA | 57 | $63,421,971 | $483,724 |
| 7 | CIN | 60 | $52,745,496 | $11,248,222 |
| 8 | PIT | 60 | $44,768,173 | $7,934,338 |
| 9 | LAR | 54 | $40,994,285 | $6,469,150 |
| 10 | NE | 64 | $35,200,699 | $20,364,345 |
| 11 | IND | 60 | $34,952,488 | $2,093,644 |
| 12 | ARI | 61 | $34,823,790 | $3,934,104 |
| 13 | ATL | 51 | $26,181,296 | $2,235,354 |
| 14 | DEN | 54 | $26,033,090 | $1,218,922 |
| 15 | BAL | 48 | $22,673,001 | $12,262,715 |
| 16 | SF | 58 | $22,523,414 | $36,327,740 |
| 17 | TB | 52 | $14,479,885 | $253,922 |
| 18 | CAR | 56 | $11,687,593 | $9,341,094 |
| 19 | PHI | 65 | $9,814,036 | $40,359,938 |
| 20 | NYG | 58 | $7,030,099 | $216,988 |
| 21 | MIA | 52 | -$3,699,267 | $73,949,385 |
| 22 | GB | 66 | -$4,344,831 | $17,171,715 |
| 23 | HOU | 57 | -$5,387,142 | $20,922,780 |
| 24 | DET | 49 | -$9,151,960 | $9,287,290 |
| 25 | JAX | 62 | -$9,166,552 | $42,000,184 |
| 26 | BUF | 63 | -$10,522,073 | $432,166 |
| 27 | CHI | 54 | -$10,688,349 | $542,995 |
| 28 | KC | 54 | -$14,403,869 | $215,642 |
| 29 | CLE | 55 | -$19,541,898 | $39,763,849 |
| 30 | DAL | 54 | -$31,529,252 | $24,344,178 |
| 31 | MIN | 54 | -$40,632,414 | $5,608,074 |
| 32 | NO | 66 | -$41,774,364 | $90,590,412 |
