Cut Candidates: AFC South

We’re shifting into offseason mode here at Rotoworld. In a salary-cap league with non-guaranteed contracts like the NFL, the offseason is a time teams rid themselves of players not living up to their pay scale. Every year, handfuls among handfuls of players are asked to take pay cuts or simply released outright. Before free agency opens March 10, I’ll highlight names from each team who may be on the roster bubble. According to several reports, the salary cap is expected to rise to roughly $142 million in 2015. Terms to know are "cap number", "cap savings", "cash savings", and "dead money". Cap number is how much Player X will count against Team X's salary cap. Cap savings is how much Team X will clear in salary-cap space by cutting Player X. Cash savings is how much Team X will save in terms of sheer cash, and it can be formulated by Player X's base salary + bonuses. Dead money is how much Player X will count against Team X's salary cap, even if he is released. I already took a look at the AFC East here and the AFC North here.

Mensio’s Note: For detailed salary cap and contract information, go check out OverTheCap.com. Salary figures and cap numbers are from them. I’d also like to give a shout-out to self-proclaimed salary cap enthusiast Andrew Cohen for answering several questions for me. Follow him on Twitter here.

HOUSTON TEXANS

C Chris Myers
Cap number: $8M
Cap savings: $6M
Cash savings: $6M
Dead money: $2M
The work coach Bill O’Brien did with this roster in his first year was nothing short of amazing. The Texans legitimately got nothing out of their 2014 draft class outside of Alfred Blue and started three different quarterbacks. They still went 9-7 after finishing 2013 with the worst record in the league. Houston has an okay cap situation, but a roster with multiple holes and depth issues. The three big-money release candidates are Andre Johnson, Johnathan Joseph, and Myers. The Texans need Johnson and Joseph more, while Myers is easier to replace despite his fine season. Entering the final year of his contract, Myers is scheduled to have the fourth-highest cap number among the league’s centers. He’ll also turn 34 next September and is a bit undersized. The Texans could slide LG Ben Jones to the middle and plug in 2014 second-rounder Xavier Su’a-Filo at left guard.

OT Tyson Clabo
Cap number: $1.32M
Cap savings: $1.22M
Cash savings: $1.22M
Dead money: $100K
Clabo, 34 next October, was signed in July to compete with RT Derek Newton. Newton ended up keeping the job, and Clabo played just 101 snaps. Newton is coming off a mostly-strong season and will be a free agent in March, so the Texans could opt to hang onto Clabo through the spring. Houston also has former Patriots and Dolphins project OT Will Yeatman as potential insurance, but he hasn’t played a snap since early-2013. Coach Bill O’Brien was the Patriots’ OC when Yeatman entered the league as an UDFA with New England in 2011. He was once viewed as an athletically-gifted riser at the position before injuries set him back.

Editor's Note: For everything NFL, check out Rotoworld's Player News, and follow @Rotoworld_FB and @NickMensio on Twitter.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

DE Ricky Jean-Francois
Cap number: $6.125M
Cap savings: $4.875M
Cash savings: $5.5M
Dead money: $1.25M
We didn’t like the Jean-Francois contract from the start. Two springs ago, Jean-Francois inked a four-year, $22M deal with the Colts after never being a starter in San Francisco. Pressed into more snaps the past two seasons, Jean-Francois has been replacement-level average. The Colts realized this last spring and went out and signed DE Arthur Jones. Jones ended up battling an ankle issue this season, forcing Jean-Francois to start 13 games. But Jones regained his job late in the year and during the playoffs. Even with LE Cory Redding a free agent, Jean-Francois is a candidate for release. The Colts are high on 2014 UDFA Zach Kerr.

OG Donald Thomas
Cap number: $3.75M
Cap savings: $3.25M
Cash savings: $3.5M
Dead money: $500K
Thomas signed a four-year, $14M deal in March of 2013 after proving to be a versatile interior reserve for the Patriots. He was expected to be the Colts’ starting left guard, but ended up tearing his quad and biceps in Week 2 of 2013 before re-tearing the same quad last summer. Thomas has played just 70 snaps for Indianapolis. The Colts are moving forward with 2014 second-rounder Jack Mewhort at left guard. Thomas can’t be trusted to stay healthy and is far too expensive coming off three major injures.

RB Trent Richardson
Cap number: $3.184M
Cap savings: $0
Cash savings: $0
Dead money: $3.184M
Releasing Richardson obviously wouldn’t be a salary-cap move. Where do we start with this guy? Acquired via trade in Week 3 of the 2013 season from the Browns in exchange for the Colts’ 2014 first-round pick, Richardson failed to grasp the offense in his first year with the Colts and then got fat and sucked as a football player again this past season. Richardson finished the year as a healthy scratch for the Colts’ final two playoff games. He’s averaged 3.1 YPC on 316 totes with the Colts after running at a 3.6 YPC clip in 17 games with the Browns, which is still bad. Strictly as a runner, Richardson was Pro Football Focus’ ninth-worst running back out of 57 qualifiers in 2014, finishing directly behind Matt Asiata. Monetarily, the Colts would gain absolutely nothing by releasing Richardson. They’d simply eat his fully-guaranteed salary just to send him out the door. He needs to hit the gym and drop some pounds this offseason. It’s possible Richardson’s quickness was sapped for good after two knee scopes in a six-month period after being drafted No. 3 overall by the Browns in the 2012 draft.

OLB Shaun Phillips
Cap number: $2.65M
Cap savings: $2.65M
Cash savings: $2.65M
Dead money: $0
Phillips, 34 in May, signed a two-year, $4.8M deal with the Titans last March, but was waived in November. The Colts claimed him off waivers as they were looking for pass-rush help off the edge. Phillips wasn’t the answer. He didn’t notch a single sack and landed just one QB hit across eight games. Edge rusher is a top need for the Colts this offseason. Because Indianapolis is so needy at the position, I left OLB Erik Walden and his $4.25M cap hit off this list.

RG Lance Louis
Cap number: $1.098M
Cap savings: $1.085M
Cash savings: $1.085M
Dead money: $12.5K
Louis started 10 games for the Colts after LG Donald Thomas was lost for the season and RG Hugh Thornton missed 10 games and parts of others with various injuries. Louis ended up getting destroyed in pass protection and wasn’t much better as a run blocker. He hasn’t been the same since a 2012 torn ACL. The Colts need to address the interior offensive line.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

MLB Paul Posluszny
Cap number: $9.5M
Cap savings: $7.5M
Cash savings: $7.5M
Dead money: $2M
The Jaguars have one of the better cap situations in the league, so they really don’t need to release anyone. But there’s no sense in drastically overpaying guys. However, Posluszny might survive another year despite his team-high cap hit. Much like Marcedes Lewis, who’s vastly overpaid with an $8.2M cap hit, on the offensive side of the ball, Posluszny is a veteran leader on a young team. He also doesn’t have a clear heir apparent. Posluszny consistently grades out near the bottom of Pro Football Focus’ inside linebacker rankings, but he’s a tackling machine who is kind of just there to clean things up in the middle of the defense. He’d missed just one game in three seasons with the Jaguars before tearing his pectoral in Week 7 this past year. Posluszny would be lucky to get a Karlos Dansby-type deal — four years and $24M — on the open market.

RE Chris Clemons
Cap number: $4.5M
Cap savings: $4.5M
Cash savings: $4.5M
Dead money: $0
The Jaguars signed Clemons to a four-year, $18M deal a day after the Seahawks released him last offseason. He produced eight sacks for them, but three of those came in one quarter against the Colts. Clemons finished with the fourth-lowest pass rushing productivity score among 4-3 ends at Pro Football Focus. He managed just 33 total pressures on 458 pass-rush snaps. That’s 2013 Shaun Phillips-esque when he racked up 11 sacks with the Broncos despite the poor pressure numbers. Phillips predictably face-planted in 2014, as noted above. Clemons will be 34 next season. The Jaguars still have Andre Branch and Chris Smith, but will likely be eyeing a pass rusher at the top of the 2015 draft after landing Blake Bortles last year. GM Dave Caldwell will need to make a decision on Clemons before he’s due a $1.5M roster bonus.

RB Toby Gerhart
Cap number: $3M
Cap savings: $3M
Cash savings: $3M
Dead money: $0
Gerhart was handed a prime opportunity when he landed a three-year, $10.5M deal from the Jaguars last spring. He was inserted as the Jaguars’ lead back, but ended up getting hurt in the season opener and battled lower-body injuries the rest of the year. He totaled just 326 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, averaging 3.2 YPC. Gerhart settled in as a mere change-of-pace to Denard Robinson and proved to be a huge fantasy flop after owners were taking him as early as the fourth round. Running back is possibly the most replaceable and recyclable position in the sport. Paying Gerhart $3M to be a backup isn’t cost-effective.

TENNESSEE TITANS

LG Andy Levitre
Cap number: $8.6M
Cap savings: $2.3M
Cash savings: $6.5M
Dead money: $6.3M
There may not be a team more in need of a complete nuclear blowup than the Titans. GM Ruston Webster has hammered this team into the ground and somehow continues to keep his job. Levitre’s six-year, $46.8M deal was just one of Webster’s countless blunders. Coach Ken Whisenhunt has always preferred bigger offensive linemen, and Levitre is just a tick over 300 pounds. The Titans toyed with the idea of benching Levitre and playing first-round OT Taylor Lewan at left guard. But LT Michael Roos got hurt and Lewan slid in as the starter there. If the Titans decide to cut ties with Levitre, who’s currently scheduled to be the Titans’ highest-paid player, they’d likely designate him as a post-June 1 cut. If they do that, they’d save $6.5M against the 2015 cap and spread the dead money hit over the next couple seasons.

FS Michael Griffin
Cap number: $8.1M
Cap savings: $4.5M
Cash savings: $6.3M
Dead money: $3.6M
As Griffin’s contract is currently structured, he’d be the league’s sixth-highest paid safety in 2015. He turned 30 earlier this month and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ fifth-worst safety out 87 qualifiers. Griffin has had multiple gaffes in coverage over the years and missed a ton of tackles this past season. He even admitted after the season his job may be in jeopardy. Griffin recently underwent shoulder surgery, but should be ready in time for training camp. The Titans used a fourth-round pick on FS Marqueston Huff in last May’s draft.

NT Sammie Lee Hill
Cap number: $4.667M
Cap savings: $4M
Cash savings: $4M
Dead money: $667K
Hill started 15-of-16 games at nose tackle and was a major part of the Titans’ problems when it came to stopping the run. Tennessee finished 31st in run defense, surrendering over 137 yards per game on the ground. Hill is entering the final year of his contract and was accused of sexual assault last month. It’s an ongoing investigation. A high salary and off-field issues are enough reason to hand Hill his pink slip. The Titans aren’t going to be any worse with or without Hill.

OLB Kamerion Wimbley
Cap number: $4.55M
Cap savings: $950K
Cash savings: $2.75M
Dead money: $3.6M
Wimbley reworked his contract last offseason, tearing up his old deal and signing a new three-year, $9M pact. The switch to DC Ray Horton’s 3-4 defense was supposed to benefit him. Wimbley ended up being even worse, managing eight total pressures on 156 pass-rush snaps. He received Pro Football Focus’ worst pass rushing productivity score among 47 qualifying 3-4 outside linebackers. Teams are allowed two post-June 1 cuts per year. If the Titans make Wimbley one, they’d save $2.75M against the cap in 2015. They’ll have to make a decision on Wimbley before he’s due a $900K roster bonus.

TE Craig Stevens
Cap number: $4.5M
Cap savings: $3.5M
Cash savings: $3.5M
Dead money: $1M
Signing Stevens to a new four-year, $14.4M contract in January 2012 was one of GM Ruston Webster’s first moves he performed while on the job. We’re not quite sure what Webster saw in Stevens, but it was a sign of things to come for Webster and his money-blowing ways. Stevens is a complete and utter non-factor as a pass catcher but excels as a run blocker on the end of the line. He’s not worth $4.5M. You can find players like him for $1-2M tops.

RB Shonn Greene
Cap number: $4.183M
Cap savings: $3.35M
Cash savings: $3.35M
Dead money: $833K
Billed as a “short-yardage back,” Greene is terrible in those situations despite his 235-pound frame. Prior to rushing for 94 yards on 11 carries in the season finale, Greene was averaging a pitiful 3.6 YPC. He’s also a complete non-factor in the passing game. Entering the final year of a three-year, $10M deal, Greene, 30 in August, should be an easy cut. He’ll be greeted by an ice-cold market. The Titans will move forward with Bishop Sankey and Dexter McCluster at running back. They’ll likely add a body at the position in free agency or the draft.