Cleveland Browns: Is Carl Nassib in danger of being cut?

Could Nassib be cut?

The status of Carl Nassib is now up in the air. For the past two seasons, Nassib has been the primary backup to Emannuel Ogbah. He has also served as a pass rush specialist. He has filled in as a starter when either Ogbah or Garrett has been injured. But with all the new faces in town, Nassib has quickly found himself on the roster bubble.

Let it not be forgotten that Nassib was drafted to play 3-4 defensive end in former defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s attacking scheme. He has the length and skill set to play a 5 technique in such a system. He played that role his first year in the league. Last year he transitioned to the 4-3 defensive end role, which included more responsibilities schematically like edge run defense.

He looked more comfortable as a 4-3 defensive end as he played the position in college. But he never figured out how to hold his own against offensive tackles in the run game. Astute Browns fans may have noticed how teams ran the ball at Nassib when he was in the game.

His pass rushing abilities were limited to rushing from the defensive end position. He did not line up as an inside rusher. He did an excellent job of blocking passes at the line of scrimmage but rarely got enough penetration to move the pocket or cause hurries.

These deficiencies can be fixed but does the current coaching staff want to spend the time on a guy who will be a free agent after the 2019 season or will they invest in players drafted specifically to fit their scheme? Chances are the coaching staff will want to focus on other players.

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All of this adds up to Nassib being the odd man out this upcoming training camp. He is clearly on the bubble. For Nassib’s sake, let’s hope the bubble doesn’t pop.