The Washington Redskins' remaining salary-cap space can take care of a few needs -- but that’s about all. Which is OK with them, because they are still trying to use this space to help set them up in the future.
The Redskins have between $13.2 million and $14.01 million, according to various sites, of remaining salary-cap space for 2016. The breakdown of sites is like this: ESPN Stats & Information ($13.2 million); NFLPA ($14.01 million); Overthecap.com ($13.7 million) and Spotrac.com ($13.3 million).
Washington, of course, did not enter free agency with a desire to dole out lots of money for other teams' players. The Redskins have mostly stuck to seeking bargains, which is why they have signed players such as safety David Bruton, end Kendall Reyes, linebacker Terence Garvin and tight end Vernon Davis. Bruton was the most expensive, receiving $3.4 million in guaranteed money.
Of course, the biggest move was using the franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins at a cost of $19.95 million. They also re-signed a handful of their own unrestricted free agents: linebacker Junior Galette, cornerback Will Blackmon, tight end Logan Paulsen, offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus, linebacker Mason Foster, defensive end Kedric Golston and quarterback Colt McCoy. They still have interest in end Jason Hatcher, running back Pierre Thomas and safety Dashon Goldson.
But their eye has been on the future, knowing they have a handful of players they want to sign to long-term deals. Key players with expiring contracts after 2016: Cousins, Galette, end Chris Baker, tight end Jordan Reed and receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.
They have plenty of space available in 2017 to handle bigger deals -- as of now, it’s about $58 million. They also have to account for raises by players currently on the roster: left tackle Trent Williams' cap hit goes from $10.7 million this season to $15.2 in 2017. Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who, like Williams, signed an extension last summer, doesn’t have a similar increase. He’ll go from an $11.7 million cap hit this season to $12.45 million in 2017.
The Redskins' rookie allotment will be about $5.8 million, according to overthecap.com. However, that could increase if the Redskins successfully add more draft choices (as they desire).