The Cleveland Browns’ ownership has not been afraid to spend money to make their team better.
Cleveland GM Andrew Berry has been aggressive with trades, pursuing players who would help the Browns become a playoff contender who can make a deep playoff run.
While the Browns often try to get in front of the ever-rising curve of paying players, Berry has judiciously spent up to the cap’s maximum to give the Browns a chance to advance in the playoffs.
That’s one reason why the analysts were caught off-guard by a wild statistic shared by Spotrac co-founder Michael Ginnitti earlier this week.
Ginnitti shared on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – the highest and lowest spenders for each position based on the team’s initial 53-man roster.
Cleveland earned an interesting rank for the Browns’ spending at the running back position, ranking as the lowest of the 32 NFL franchises for their running back spending thus far.
Initial 53-Man Top & Bottom Spenders (Combined AAV)
Total: PHI | NE
QB: JAX | SF
RB: SF | CLE
WR: PHI | PIT
TE: NO | NYG
OL: DET | SF
DL: SF | LAR
LB: PIT | BUF
DB: GB | NYG*These are combined average salaries of players only on the active roster (excluding IR, PUP, etc)…
— Spotrac (@spotrac) August 28, 2024
In fairness, the list does not account for players who have an injury designation.
Only third-year athletes Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. – who are both on their rookie deals – counted for the Browns’ initial 53-man roster.
Two players – star running back Nick Chubb and newcomer Nyheim Hines – have injury designations to start the season, and their salaries did not factor into the rankings.
On Thursday, Cleveland terminated the contract for quarterback Tyler Huntley and added a third running back in D’Onta Foreman, potentially pushing the Browns’ spending above the last-place designation it earned after Tuesday’s roster cuts were announced.
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