The Buffalo Bills have sent defensive lineman Marcell Dareus home from their preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens for violating a team rule, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
At Ravens/Bills, have learned that Marcell Dareus has been sent home from Baltimore for violating a team rule
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 26, 2017
Dareus has broken rules before and gotten into public spats with management (more on that here). Evidently, his attitude hasn’t changed much with Sean McDermott installed as head coach.
The important distinction here is whether Dareus would have been sent home had this been a regular season game. It’s easy to set a culture by doing things like this in the preseason, when wins and losses don’t count for anything. However, if Dareus continues to act out of line during the regular season without consequence, this will likely fall on deaf ears.
The 27-year old Dareus is a key part of Buffalo’s defensive line. His 83.1 PFF grade last season ranked 21st among interior defenders, so any further consequences for him could turn into a major issue for the Bills. Situations like this are always tough to manage. Without knowing exactly what Dareus did, it’s hard to know whether the Bills did the right thing in sending him home. However, this could help to set a tone for McDermott’s inaugural season on the sideline.