xwalker
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This is an overview on the cap costs of draft picks, the rule of 51 and how to estimate the actual cap space vs the off-season cap space.
Cap space during the off-season is calculated using the Rule of 51. Only the top 51 cap hits are used.
The current Cap Space does not include the draft picks, full 53 man roster, practice squad or players on IR.
I’ll show how these additional cap hits are estimated.
We’ll start with the 2019 results and then show how each is calculated:
There will also be cap costs related to players on IR which I’ll also explain.
Draft Picks:
To estimate the cap hits for draft picks, I look at last years picks at those spots and then add inflation. The rookie pay scale increase generally tracks with the increase in the overall salary cap.
The cap increase from 2018 to 2019 is 6.2 percent. I’ll use 10% for a worst case estimate.
When a draft pick is added to the top 51, then another player is bumped from the top 51; therefore, the Cowboys cap is increased by the difference between the draft picks cap hit and the cap hit of the player bumped from the top 51.
For the current top 51 cap hits, only picks #58 and #90 project to make enough to bump another player off the top 51.
Those 2 picks cap hits project to 1.69M.
The cap hits for the 2 players bumped from the top 51 add up to 1.29M.
The difference (1.69M – 1.29M) is 400K.
Therefore the Cowboys Cap only increases 400K by adding the draft picks.
Normally the vast majority of the money paid to draft picks goes to the 1st round pick. Since the Cowboys didn’t have a 1st round pick, the cap increase from adding the draft picks is minimal.
If any of the 4th round and later picks make the roster, then they actually lower the cap because they replace players with higher cap hits.
Cap Hits 52 and 53:
Since the roster has 53 players but the off-seaason cap space is based on 51 players, we must add the cap hits for 52 and 53.
Currently, once the draft picks are added, cap hits 52 & 53 add up to 1.29M.
Practice Squad:
Practice Squad players make 8K per week of the 17 week season.
Cost of PS player for 17 weeks: 8K * 17 = 136K
Cost of 10 PS players for the season: 1.36M
Players on IR:
When a player goes on IR, then another player is added to the roster.
The cap hit for the player on IR is already accounted for in the cap space numbers.
The cap hit for the player added to the roster is the amount that is deducted from the overall cap space.
Cap space during the off-season is calculated using the Rule of 51. Only the top 51 cap hits are used.
The current Cap Space does not include the draft picks, full 53 man roster, practice squad or players on IR.
I’ll show how these additional cap hits are estimated.
We’ll start with the 2019 results and then show how each is calculated:
400K Cost to add 2019 draft picks.
1.29M Cost to add cap hits 52 & 53.
1.36M Cost to add practice squad.
3.05M Total
1.29M Cost to add cap hits 52 & 53.
1.36M Cost to add practice squad.
3.05M Total
There will also be cap costs related to players on IR which I’ll also explain.
Draft Picks:
To estimate the cap hits for draft picks, I look at last years picks at those spots and then add inflation. The rookie pay scale increase generally tracks with the increase in the overall salary cap.
The cap increase from 2018 to 2019 is 6.2 percent. I’ll use 10% for a worst case estimate.
When a draft pick is added to the top 51, then another player is bumped from the top 51; therefore, the Cowboys cap is increased by the difference between the draft picks cap hit and the cap hit of the player bumped from the top 51.
For the current top 51 cap hits, only picks #58 and #90 project to make enough to bump another player off the top 51.
Those 2 picks cap hits project to 1.69M.
The cap hits for the 2 players bumped from the top 51 add up to 1.29M.
The difference (1.69M – 1.29M) is 400K.
Therefore the Cowboys Cap only increases 400K by adding the draft picks.
Normally the vast majority of the money paid to draft picks goes to the 1st round pick. Since the Cowboys didn’t have a 1st round pick, the cap increase from adding the draft picks is minimal.
If any of the 4th round and later picks make the roster, then they actually lower the cap because they replace players with higher cap hits.
Cap Hits 52 and 53:
Since the roster has 53 players but the off-seaason cap space is based on 51 players, we must add the cap hits for 52 and 53.
Currently, once the draft picks are added, cap hits 52 & 53 add up to 1.29M.
Practice Squad:
Practice Squad players make 8K per week of the 17 week season.
Cost of PS player for 17 weeks: 8K * 17 = 136K
Cost of 10 PS players for the season: 1.36M
Players on IR:
When a player goes on IR, then another player is added to the roster.
The cap hit for the player on IR is already accounted for in the cap space numbers.
The cap hit for the player added to the roster is the amount that is deducted from the overall cap space.
Example:
Last year Travis Frederick was placed on IR the week before game 1.
His cap hit was 6.275M but that was already accounted for on the cap.
If Frederick did not have health issues, then they likely would not have signed Xavier Sua-Filo.
Xavier Sua-Filo (Cap Hit): 768K
Last year Travis Frederick was placed on IR the week before game 1.
His cap hit was 6.275M but that was already accounted for on the cap.
If Frederick did not have health issues, then they likely would not have signed Xavier Sua-Filo.
Xavier Sua-Filo (Cap Hit): 768K
Therefore the Cowboys Cap Space decreased by 768K from Frederick going on IR.
The actual cap cost of Frederick was still his cap hit; however, since they replaced his roster spot with a less expensive player, the added cap hit from Frederick was basically the 768K cap hit from signing Sua-Filo.
