Bud DupreeNASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans have to cut $23,687,933 in scheduled 2023 salary by 3 p.m. CT on March 15 to be in compliance with the salary cap.

That number is according to Spotrac and has the Titans in the fourth-worst position in the league, better than only the Saints, Buccaneers and Jaguars.

The official 2023 salary cap number of $224.8 million was given to teams Monday, NFL Network reported.

But the Titans won’t simply need to get to a point where their most expensive 51 players cost less than their adjusted cap number, which includes over $1.8 million in rolled-over money from 2022.

They’ll need room to sign new players in free agency and to sign their draft class.

Cutting four players can save them $45.14 million dollars against the salary cap. Here’s a chart I included in Friday’s mailbag showing those potential savings. If they made all four of these moves, they’d come out more than $21.45 million under the cap. That would put them in the ninth-best shape in the league on the current list.

Player

Cap

Dead Cap

Cap Savings

Bud Dupree

$20.2M

$10.85M

$9.35M

Taylor Lewan

$14.84M

0

$14.84M

Robert Woods

$14.62M

$2.6M

$12.02M

Zach Cunningham

$13.43M

$4.5M

$8.93M

Totals

$90.82

$17.95

$45.14M

 

Cutting Ryan Tannehill would save the Titans an additional $17.8 million, while the quarterback would also leave behind $18.8 million in dead money charges. 

Tennessee could also extend Tannehill, which would help lower his $36.6 million scheduled 2023 cap hit. An expected new deal for Jeffery Simmons could actually lower his scheduled cap hit ($10.753 million) and an extension for Derrick Henry, who is entering the final year of his contract could lower his upcoming number from $16.37 million. 

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