OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- A big reason why the Baltimore Ravens have among the smallest amount of salary-cap room in the NFL is that they are using a chunk of their space on players no longer on the team.
The Ravens are devoting 10 percent of their cap -- $16.7 million -- to players who have been cut before their contracts expired. Only the Los Angeles Chargers currently rank higher than the Ravens in "dead money."
This is what happens when a team invests some sizable money into players whose production falls off before the end of their contracts.