As organized team activities begin to wind down, the Denver Broncos are set to go into the summer with $11,009,018 in remaining 2022 salary cap space, according to NFL Players Association records.
The Broncos are still yet to official sign fourth-round draft pick Eyioma Uwazurike and seventh-round pick Faion Hicks, but the defensive lineman and cornerback won’t have much impact the team’s cap space due to their low salaries.
During the offseason, only the top 51 players with the biggest cap hits count against the team’s cap, not all 90 players. Right now, wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland is No. 51 for Denver with a cap hit of $895,000, according to OverTheCap.com.
So anyone who’s set to make less than Cleveland this season won’t impact the team’s cap space right now. Uwazurike ($896,467) will be paid slightly more than Cleveland so he will bump the receiver down for a net loss of about $1,467 in cap space. Hicks ($730,420) will fall below the top 51 threshold.
So even after signing Uwazurike and Hicks, the Broncos will still have about $11 million in cap space. Denver typically likes to have $8-10 million in free cap space available for potential in-season moves.
Any cap space not used this season will roll over and be added to the team’s 2023 total. Saving cap space for the future is a wise move that makes it easier to give extensions to key players such as quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Broncos could create even more salary cap space by making some cap-related cuts this summer.
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