Joe Haden, cornerback, Cleveland Browns
Much like San Francisco, the Browns aren’t going to make any decisions based on cash. They still have a ton of cap room, even after trading for the high-priced Brock Osweiler back in March. But much like the 49ers, they are in the midst of yet another extensive rebuild.
At 28 years old, some might figure that Haden is in the prime of his career. Unfortunately, it looks like the former top-10 pick has maxed out. After missing all but five games of the 2015 season, Haden returned to the field to start all 13 games in which he appeared this past year. But he just wasn’t much more than average.
Joe Haden is PFF's fourth-worst-graded cornerback over the last four weeks (out of 104 qualifying). https://t.co/n9IpiWuJf9
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) November 25, 2016
With a salary of $14.4 million, Cleveland would exhaust all but $10 million in dead cap room by releasing Haden. That seems to suggest the team will keep him around for one more season. With youngsters Howard Wilson, Marcus Burley and Darius Hillary slated to take on larger roles, Cleveland simply might decide to go with the youth movement in the secondary.
Despite that dead cap hit, it would not be an absolute shock if the Browns did indeed release Haden. The team is not going to be competitive this season. Why not give younger corners more experience as the team looks to continue its extensive rebuild?