A Year Later, Ex-Cowboy Hatcher Feels at Home in Washington

Jason Hatcher joined the Redskins last year after eight seasons with the Cowboys

Last year, after eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Jason Hatcher followed a truckload of money to Washington DC to join the Redskins. He recorded 5.5 sacks in his first year with the team, exactly half of his total in 2013 as a member of the Cowboys.

Over a year after joining the team, Hatcher admits he wasn’t always comfortable in a new place and in a new role in 2014. But now he’s settled in, and he foresees a big year for himself and the Washington defensive front as a whole in 2015.

“It was an adjustment, just getting here and feeling out the locker room and stuff like that,” Hatcher told the “Redskins Nation” show on the team’s website. “I think the GM did a good job of bringing in the right guys and so we can take this thing in the right direction. It was very uncomfortable, I’m not going to lie, but coming in here, seeing some stuff how it was done, but it’s definitely changed this year. I feel at home; I feel comfortable.”

With Joe Barry taking over as defensive coordinator this season, Hatcher believes he’ll return to the ultra-disruptive style of play that earned him the nickname “Big Daddy” from Cowboys defensive coordinator (then the defensive line coach) Rod Marinelli in 2013.

“The scheme has changed; I can get back to being 'Big Daddy' up field making plays and not just holding the blocker, so you’ve just got to do what they pay you to do,” he said. “If they tell you to hold up blockers, that’s what you got to do. But this year they can kind of turn me lose and I can go up field and do what I do, so hopefully 'Big Daddy' will be back in the building.”

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