The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued to tweak their Week One roster on Monday, this time adding a promising pass-rusher to their already remade defensive line.
The latest addition is third-year defensive end Carl Nassib, claimed off waivers on Monday from the Cleveland Browns. To make room for Nassib on the 53-man roster, the Buccaneers released fifth-year defensive end Will Clarke.
Nassib played in 30 games over his two seasons in Cleveland, contributing 52 tackles and 5.5 sacks, but he was waived on Sunday after the Browns claimed five other players off the wire created by Saturday's league-wide cuts.
Nassib first entered the league as a third-round draft pick of the Browns in 2016. He played in 14 games as a rookie, starting three, and recorded 20 tackles, 2.5 sacks and four passes defensed. Last year, Nassib appeared in all 16 games and added 3.0 more sacks plus 32 tackles and five passes defensed.
The Buccaneers began the revamping of their defensive line early in the offseason after finishing last in the NFL with 22 sacks in 2017. The team signed Beau Allen, Vinny Curry and Mitch Unrein in free agency, traded for Jason Pierre-Paul and drafted Vita Vea with the 12th overall pick. While Unrein is now on injured reserve and Vea has been out for roughly a month with a calf injury, Allen, Curry and Pierre-Paul are all expected to be opening day starters.
Nassib will join a defensive line rotation that starts with Pierre-Paul and Curry and also includes promising third-year man Noah Spence. Defensive end Will Gholston is also in that mix, though he may draw more playing time on the inside in the early-going with the absences of Unrein and Vea.
Clarke signed with the Buccaneers just before the start of last season after spending his first three seasons in Cincinnati. He played in 15 games with one start and contributed 2.5 sacks in 2017.
