Zettel finished last season with six and a half sacks for the Lions, but with the arrival of new head coach Matt Patricia, Detroit is moving away from the base 4-3 defense and going to the 3-4 with multiple sets, which Zettel isn't as suited for (Much as the Browns traded Danny Shelton, a better fit for a 3-4 alignment to New England earlier this season) and wouldn't be as effective.
Zettel, a sixth-rounder in 2016 from Penn State, was a defensive tackle for the Nittany Lions but was rotated out to defensive end upon his arrival in Detroit, where his 6'4 275 pound frame is a little better suited to rush the passer rather than on the interior line, where he would be considered to be a little small for the tackle position.
Zettel, who was a college teammate and in the same draft as the recently released Carl Nassib (Nassib was claimed by Tampa Bay) is now the tenth defensive lineman on the roster.
The Browns think Zettel is worth the addition and they must like their other defensive linemen to not release one of those to pick Zettel up as they took a depth hit along the offensive line as they released Aaron Neary to make roster space.
Neary had just been added off the wire, so his Cleveland stint was barely long enough to check into a hotel, let alone check out of one.
Still, the Browns will only be carrying eight offensive linemen for the time being, so they are a little more vulnerable to potential injury along that line.
I'm going to try to be back tonight to conclude the road trip series.
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