3-4 defensive end turned 4-3 defensive tackle Jason Hatcher impressed coaches in limited action against the Raiders last Friday.
Hatcher didn’t record a tackle in the game, but he made his presence felt by swatting the ball out of Oakland quarterback Matt Flynn’s hand in the first quarter, then falling on the fumble to set Dallas up in the red zone. They’d jump out to an early 3-0 lead a few plays later on a Dan Bailey field goal.
“Very athletic guy. Very good feet, good movement, loose in the hips, all those things,” said first-year defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Good solid rush there, too. Hit that edge. Did what he was supposed to do.”
Hatcher himself wasn’t unimpressed by the play, for which linebacker Sean Lee should be credited with an assist, as he applied the initial pressure on Flynn.
“Yeah, I knocked it out. Just a great play,” Hatcher said. “We played well together for the first four plays that we played. But I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s going to look when we play 30 or 40 plays.”
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