Marcell Dareus was a good player when he led Alabama’s defense to a National Championship in 2011. He was considered to be a very good player when he was a consensus top-5 pick and drafted third overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was pretty good when he was an All-Pro with 10 sacks in 2014.
Then Rex Ryan showed up and moved Dareus out of his natural 4-3 DT position. He continued to struggle with a lack of maturity evidenced in off-the-field issues. He battled injuries. And all of a sudden he became “lazy,” “overpaid,” and considered expendable by many fans and reporters who follow the team.