Cleveland Browns sign defensive lineman Stephen Paea

The Cleveland Browns continue to reshape their roster, signing veteran defensive lineman Stephen Paea one day before the final roster cut downs are due.

One day before they have to reduce the roster to a maximum of 53 players, the Cleveland Browns made a move by signing defensive lineman Stephen Paea.

The sixth-year veteran was released by the Washington Redskins earlier this week and spending just one season with the team. The 6-foot-1 and 310-pound Paea played 11 games for the Redskins, finishing with 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks before landing on season-ending injured reserve.

Prior to that he spent four years with the Chicago Bears after being selected in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

The Browns have not officially announced the signing, but Paea made it pretty clear on his Twitter feed:

According to The Washington Post, Paea’s tenure in Washington was marked by “disappointments.”  Paea reportedly had difficulty transitioning to the Redskins three-man defensive line after playing in a four-man front with the Bears.

During training camp this summer, Paea worked primarily with the second and third team and “struggled to make a consistent impact.”

In his final year with the Bears, however, Paea finished the year as the fourth-highest ranked defensive tackle as a pass rusher, according to Pro Football Focus. The analytics site noted that:

"His 47 total pressures were topped by only Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Williams among defensive tackles, with his 11 hits also tied for third best in the league among defensive tackles.your text"

"The risky side of Washington’s investment in Paea is that he is somewhat of a one-season wonder, exploding in terms of productivity in his contract year. Prior to this season Paea had never earned a positive overall grade for a single season and had only shown flashes in isolated performances as both a pass rusher and a run defender in 2012 and 2013, only really stringing some performances together to end his second season (+3.7 over the final five games of 2012)."

The Browns have struggled on the defensive line throughout the preseason so it is not a surprise to see them add another player at the position. Seeing as how they signed Paea a day before roster cuts, it would seem likely that he will be on the team, at least for the opening part of the season.

Next: Don't overreact to Browns preseason record

They are also most likely not looking at Paea to be the centerpiece of their defensive line the way that Washington did, so having him in a reserve role may be a better fit.