Disabled Exception vs Apron Hard Cap

[Garf]

Hey guys,

I suppose this could only happen in a fantasy league as complex as ours, but could you please solve this puzzle for me?

A team has hard-capped themselves at the apron by using the non-taxpayer MLE.
Now they have been granted the disabled player exception for Robert Williams.

Do I understand correctly that Williams' salary remains on the books, and if they were very close to the apron before, the DPA does not soften that hard cap in any way and thus likely won't be useful at all?

Many thanks as usual,
Daniel