Buffalo Bills: Marcell Dareus Primed for a Huge 2017 Campaign

Marcell Dareus is ready to take the Buffalo Bills’ defense to the next level this season and help end the Buffalo Bills’ 17-year playoff drought.

It was a rough season for Marcell Dareus in 2016 and the same could be said about the Buffalo Bills‘ season as a whole. Fans got to see their team perform in ways they’ve never seen before, but there was also a lot of nail-biting and hair-pulling.

Dareus started the 2016 season with a four-game suspension due to violating the league’s substance abuse policy. After serving his suspension, he returned to practice just to suffer a hamstring injury — an injury that kept him out another three games.

He would return Week 8 vs. New England and would perform well — finishing with 4 tackles, one sack and one stuff. Unfortunately, he would miss Week 9 due to a groin injury. He would appear in the final 7 games of the season, but injuries were still an issue after adding an abdominal injury to the list for Week 13.

In total, Marcell Dareus would finish the season with 39 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 stuffs and one pass defensed. If he had played a full season, he would’ve been on pace for his most productive season since entering the league as the 3rd overall draft pick in the 2011 draft.

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That’s saying something.

Not to mention, he finished the 2015 season with 51 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 stuffs. Yes, he almost performed better in 2016 than in 2015, which is a little surprising given the fact that he played 7 fewer games in 2016 than in 2015.

When Dareus was on the field last season, he was contributing at a faster pace than he ever has before.

Off the field, he made it known to the fans that this wasn’t just about football and a paycheck. He began a mission to give back to the community and it wasn’t something he pursued once and then stopped — he has continued it even to this day. Teaming up with the Boys & Girls Club for Halloween, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (in his hometown) for Thanksgiving, the YMCA for his 2nd Annual Christmas Party and most recently Hope for Haiti, Dareus has proven that he has a huge heart.

Teaming with Hope for Haiti, Marcell Dareus was able to take a trip to Haiti and see his $25,000 donation being put to work. He met with children, elders and many more Haitian people to better understand how they live and how we can help them. It also allowed him to pay homage to his roots, since his father was Haitian-born.

For a better idea of what he has been doing these past few months in the community, check out the following:

Dareus Gives Back to Buffalo For Halloween

Dareus Feeds the Needy for Thanksgiving

Dareus Hosts 2nd Annual Christmas Party, Dresses as Santa

December 23rd is Declared ‘Marcell Dareus Day’

Dareus Takes Humanitarian Trip to Haiti

Marcell Dareus Releases Video of Trip to Haiti

With all of the inspiration he has gained with this mission of giving back, there’s no doubt he’s preparing to pour it all onto the field. What he showed us last year was that he was ready to own up to his mistakes and work to fix them.

He did that.

Now, he will look to prove that the new leaf has been turned and it’s time to bring this city the winning atmosphere we’ve been craving. No more excuses, everyone knows this team is a Playoff Caliber team and it’s time to start showing it.

Dareus will help with that.

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He’s healthy, gets an extra two weeks of offseason workouts along with the rest of the team, has a new defensive-minded coach (no, really this time) and obviously has the skills to turn out a productive season.

If you’ve been following Dareus since Week 8 of last season, you’ll have the same respect I have grown to have for him. Good luck to you, Marcell Dareus and bring us home a lot of victories. We’ll be cheering you on week in and week out.

2017 Projections: 58 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, one INT, 4 passes defensed, 7 stuffs

Next: Grading All 19 Free Agent Additions This Offseason

Are you excited to see Marcell Dareus take the Buffalo Bills’ defense to the next level this season? What are your predictions for him? Leave your thoughts below!

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