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Browns sign DL Stephen Paea before final cuts

NFL: Preseason-Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns clearly need some help on the defensive line with the injury to Desmond Bryant before camp and second-year man Danny Shelton having a rough preseason at nose tackle. Prior to 53-man rosters being named, the team appears to be signing veteran defensive lineman Stephen Paea.

Paea was a second-round pick in 2011 by the Chicago Bears. In four years with the Bears, Paea started 40 games and logged 12 sacks. In 2015, he signed a four-year deal with the Washington Redskins, but didn’t crack the starting lineup. He registered 1.5 sacks in 11 games last year before finishing the season on injured reserve.

Brent Sobleski of the OBR weighed in on the move:

If the team decides to make the Paea contract official today, they’ll have to make one roster move to get back down to 75 players before the final 53-man cutdown on Saturday.