Stephen Paea pushing for Cowboys’ starting nose tackle job

Stephen Paea has made a favorable impression early on in his Dallas Cowboys tenure. After all, he knows what defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli wants out of his nose tackle.

Marinelli was the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator when they drafted Paea in the second round in 2011, and Paea had two sacks as a rookie. The two have been reunited with the Cowboys.

“Same old Rod, man,” Paea said. “Coming out here, if you have a good day, nobody cares. Do it again the next day. It’s all about consistency.”

Paea, entering his seventh season in the NFL, had his best season in 2014 with six sacks. Marinelli had departed for the Cowboys by then, but the Bears played the same Tampa 2 scheme.

In the past two seasons, Paea has played in 3-4 defenses in Washington and Cleveland and simply wasn’t the best fit. He’s found his home again as a nose tackle in the Tampa 2.

“Just be aggressive in there,” Paea said. “A lot of guys they think of a nose tackle, they’re just there playing with your hands and just playing the run, but Rod just wants more out of the nose tackle. If you don’t pass rush as a nose, then you’re not doing your job, so that’s what he wants from the nose tackle.”

Paea has fared well, too, getting first-team reps with Cedric Thornton dealing with a hamstring injury.

Paea missed the Cowboys’ last preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams with a sore knee, but expects to play Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts.

“We all have that next-man mentality,” Paea said. “I’m out here just taking advantage of all opportunity for me to compete out here.

“Going out here against the best offensive line in the NFL is a great opportunity for me to get better – make Sunday a little easier for me.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Stephen Paea pushing for Cowboys’ starting nose tackle job."