The 2026 NFL Draft presents a major opportunity for teams to bolster rosters before September and fans will be closely watching the squads with the most cap space.
Reigning Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks are the team that everyone is chasing down ahead of the 2026 NFL season. However, several other playoff teams from last season hold major draft capital and cap space heading into April’s draft.
Spotrac updated its NFL cap space tracker ahead of Round 1 during Thursday’s NFL Draft. That includes five squads with over $40 million heading into the busy draft season.
Updated #NFL Cap Space1. TEN, $64M2. WAS, $50M3. LAC, $48M4. NYJ, $47M5. ARI, $41M6. NE, $36M7. SEA, $33M8. PHI, $33M9. BAL, $28M10. PIT, $28M11. SF, $28M12. LAR, $28M13. IND, $27M14. GB, $25M15. LV, $23M 16. DET, $23M17. CLE, $22M18. ATL, $21M19. DEN, $19M20.…
Many fans are eagerly anticipating college football newcomers in the league like Indiana star Fernando Mendoza and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. However, the draft could also prove to be a major event with current NFL stars being moved.
The Philadelphia Eagles are constantly being monitored with A.J. Brown’s odd situation. Meanwhile, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter indicated ahead of the draft that Brown could be moved very soon.
Brown isn’t the only major storyline that needs attention ahead of this year’s draft, though. Several teams hold multiple first-round selections, including the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and New York Jets.
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It’s uncommon to see truly blockbuster trades on draft night, but with many teams aiming to rebuild quickly in 2026 that possibility cannot be ruled out. In 2004, the Giants traded picks with the Los Angeles Chargers in order to select Eli Manning, who helped deliver two Super Bowl titles.
However, the Tennessee Titans boast the top cap space by a wide margin heading into the draft and with Robert Saleh now guiding the franchise. The Titans spent their number one pick on Cam Ward last offseason and now hope to build around him.