The New Orleans Saints are about $4.7 million under the salary cap after their flurry of trades and free-agent moves.
Remember, only the top 51 salary-cap figures count against a team during the offseason, plus dead money.
Click here to see how the Saints were allocating their resources this season on offense (before restructuring guard Jahri Evans' contract last week), according to ESPN Stats and Information. Here is their breakdown on defense:
Defensive line
Number of players on roster: 6
Percentage of team’s salary-cap space: 10.8 percent
Total cap charge: $13.7 million
NFL average: $23.2 million
Biggest cap hit: Cameron Jordan $7 million
Biggest bargains: Akiem Hicks $1.7 million, John Jenkins $746,890
Thoughts: The Saints still have a chance to get more bang for their buck here than any other position, even with Jordan’s salary vaulting in the fifth year of his rookie deal. Jordan and Hicks both underachieved last season, but both have Pro Bowl-caliber potential.
Saints coach Sean Payton said the Saints have been discussing a long-term extension with Jordan’s agent. If that happens, his 2015 cap figure will likely decrease, but he’ll likely make more than $7 million per year in total value.
Linebacker
Number of players on roster: 9
Percentage of team’s salary-cap space: 12.1 percent
Total cap charge: $15.4 million
NFL average: $16.6 million
Biggest cap hit: Junior Galette $5.5 million
Biggest bargains: Dannell Ellerbe $1.9 million, Parys Haralson $665,000
Thoughts: The Saints’ starting lineup is decent, but not very dynamic aside from Galette’s pass-rushing ability. They’ve got veteran players across the board in the starting lineup. They need to draft and develop some young talent -- both at edge rusher and inside.
Cornerback
Number of players on roster: 7
Percentage of team’s salary-cap space: 7.8 percent
Total cap charge: $9.9 million
NFL average: $14.7 million
Biggest cap hit: Keenan Lewis $4.5 million
Biggest bargain: Brandon Browner $2.4 million
Thoughts: The Saints had to bring in a proven veteran in free agency -- which they did with Browner. So I like the 1-2 punch with him and Lewis. But there’s nothing but question marks behind those vets, with newly-signed backup Kyle Wilson and a quartet of young players vying for roles (Terrence Frederick, Stan Jean-Baptiste, Brian Dixon and Delvin Breaux). Though it's not a "must," I could definitely see the Saints addressing this position early in the draft as well.
Safety
Number of players on roster: 9
Percentage of team’s salary-cap space: 10.6 percent
Total cap charge: $13.4 million
NFL average: $8.8 million
Biggest cap hit: Jairus Byrd $5.5 million
Biggest bargains: Kenny Vaccaro $2.6 million, Pierre Warren $510,000
Thoughts: This is the only position on defense where the Saints are spending above the league average. But this group was arguably the biggest disappointment of a disappointing 2014 for the Saints.
Many believed they had more talent at safety than any team outside of Seattle. But the trio of Byrd, Vaccaro and Rafael Bush were plagued by injuries and inconsistent play. If those three can return anywhere close to their peak form, this should be a strength for the Saints’ D. The way they’ve invested in it, they need it to be.