Buffalo Bills ‘nowhere near’ releasing Marcell Dareus
By Cory Buck
The Buffalo Bills have had plenty to deal with to start training camp. Marcell Dareus arriving out of shape after a tumultuous offseason was just the cherry on top after the team already lost top linebacker Kiko Alonso.
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Despite all that though, the team remains committed to Dareus — for now anyways.
ESPN’s Sal Paolontonio appeared on WGR 550 in Buffalo to discuss a number of issues surrounding the Bills. Dareus was hardly the least among them, as Howard Simon notes.
"Paolontonio spoke with Whaley and Marrone,said they are “nowhere near” the breaking point with Dareus. They’re all in with getting him fixed — Howard WGR (@hsimon62) July 21, 2014"
There go the rumors of his demise. At just 24 years old, the two-time Pro Bowler Dareus has plenty of promise to offer for any team that can hang onto him long enough for the former Alabama lineman to get his life sorted out.
The risk for Buffalo of course is that they could wait too long. The team is in desperate need of a culture change as they hope to fight off a 15th straight year without the playoffs. This is hardly the sort of situation the coaching staff wants dogging them all season.
That said, the team clearly needs Dareus. They already lost Alonso for the season and safety Jairus Byrd to free agency. To lose one of the best young defensive tackles in the league to boot would almost be too devastating for such a fragile team to handle.
That’s why it’s fair to say head coach Doug Marrone is willing to weather the storm in the hopes that Dareus can sort out his personal issues with help from the team.
Dareus will have another chance to make the team, it appears, on Friday when he will likely take another conditioning test. If he passes then, this week’s story will blow over. If he fails once more, questions will dog Dareus and the staff all year.