Cowboys Rod Marinelli praises second-year pass rusher

As the Dallas Cowboys continue to search for pass rushing help, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli praises this young second-year defensive end.

When the Dallas Cowboys start the regular season in September, the team will be doing so without two of their top defensive ends. Pass rushers DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are scheduled to be suspended for the first four games of the year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

It’s a major blow to a Cowboys defense that has struggled to get to opposing quarterbacks for several years now.

Earlier this offseason, Dallas opted not to re-sign controversial defensive end Greg Hardy and veteran Jeremy Mincey. In their place, the Cowboys signed restricted free agent Benson Mayowa and retained rotational defender Jack Crawford.

The team also added veteran tackle Cedric Thornton in free agency and brought in rookie defensive linemen Maliek Collins and Charles Tapper via the draft.

The Cowboys are hoping some combination of these new and old faces will be able to fill the void left by the suspension of the team’s projected top two pass rushers.

But it now appears the Cowboys fifth round selection from last year may be stepping up and starting to fulfill the potential that landing him in Dallas in the first place. That player is former Purdue defensive end Ryan Russell.

In fact, Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli mention that during this week’s OTA’s, Russell appears to have made a measurable improvement from where he was at this point last offseason. So much so that Marinelli actually had the 24-year old practicing with the first-team defensive group on Wednesday.

And it appears Russell is making the most out of his opportunity. Former NFL scout and current football analyst for DallasCowboys.com Bryan Broaddus recently reported being impressed by the second-year defender while he was playing against All-Pro level competition.

"“In a show of power, Ryan Russell got into Zack Martin’s body and drove him back in the pocket, right at Romo’s feet,” Bryan Broaddus wrote on the team’s official site on Wednesday. “Martin ended up on the ground after getting tangled up with Travis Frederick, but nevertheless, it was a nice sign to see Russell capture that much ground on the All-Pro guard.”"

After an unimpressive showing last offseason, Russell was active all of one game in 2015 after an abdomen injury ended his rookie campaign prematurely. Coming out of college, the knock on this young defender was his lack of consistent effort. It’s something that appear to hurt him last year with the Cowboys as well.

Although Russell looks the part at 6-4, 269 pounds, his lack of production was a concern. During his four-years at Purdue, Russell recorded a total of 149 total tackles, 24.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks.

But to hear from the Cowboys defensive coordinator himself that Russell has appeared to have turned a corner and is now progressing in the right direction is terrific news. And with Dallas needing their entire defensive line to step up in place of both Lawrence and Gregory, Russell has a real opportunity to help this team in their time of need…and beyond.

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