Raiders plan to use DE Clelin Ferrell at defensive tackle some this season
With new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, his motto is to get the four-best pass rushers on the field on every snap. And if you have followed his career at all recently with the Cowboys, you know that he is a man of his word.
Over the last several seasons, Marinelli has found ways creative ways to utilize his best rushers, including moving defensive ends inside on clear passing downs. A great example of this is Marinelli moving defensive end Tyrone Crawford, who weighs are 275 pounds, to defensive tackle on second and third down.
The Raiders plan to do the same with second-year defensive end Clelin Ferrell, according to head coach Jon Gruden. Here is what Gruden had to say in his most recent media session in regards to Ferrell and attacking an offensive line:
“If there’s a weak link somewhere, or there’s a game that we want to try to exploit stunt-wise, we’d like everybody to have that versatility on third down, certainly. But, we think Cle can bat some balls down, we think he can do a lot of things as a rusher inside and out eventually.”
Ferrell will likely start at defensive end on base downs, but we could see a lot of him inside at defensive tackle with either Maliek Collins or Maurice Hurst. That would allow the Raiders to put Maxx Crosby and Carl Nassib on the field at the same time.
This isn’t anything new for Ferrell as he played inside at defensive tackle some during his rookie season. But with more talent at defensive end this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up playing even more snaps inside. Ferrell added weight this offseason and is now tipping the scales at 275 pounds. That added muscle suggests he know that he will play inside more often and needs the strength to hold up against offensive guard.
Ultimately, Marinelli will use a heavy rotation of defensive linemen and will mix-and-match the unit all season long. However, expect Ferrell to see be used at defensive tackle once again this season.
