Defensive tackle Stephen Paea has officially signed with Washington. Paea spent the last four seasons with Chicago playing the defensive tackle spot in its 4-3 defense. Although Washington runs a 3-4 and Paea has the skill set to fit as a nose tackle or an end, Washington has bigger needs in the former spot.
Stephen Paea signs with Washington
Paea joins Ricky Jean Francois as newcomers on Washington’s 2015-16 defensive line.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The deal is expected to be for four years, per Jen Lada of CSN Chicago.
Paea was drafted by the Bears in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and has been a consistent contributor each year since. He played in 11 games as a rookie and managed 14 tackles with two sacks. This past year was his best season yet, putting up 33 tackles and six sacks with a pair of forced fumbles and three pass breakups.
While rushing the passer is never the primary goal of a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense, Paea was particularly solid at getting into the backfield, even if he didn’t snare the sack. In 2014, Paea was credited with 47 pressures, third-most among defensive tackles and nose tackles, according to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus.
Washington has revamped its defensive line this offseason, releasing veterans Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen to gain cap space, and signing Ricky Jean Francois to be a starter next to Paea. The position was supposed to be a strength given the emphasis placed on it in free agency over the past few seasons -- only time will tell if Paea and Jean Francois end up yielding the same results.
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