News: BR: How Ken Bishop Fits with the Dallas Cowboys

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Despite losing so much talent on the defensive line, the Dallas Cowboys waited until the seventh round to take a defensive tackle. The team used one of its five final-round selections on Northern Illinois product Ken Bishop.

As a member of the Huskies, Bishop recorded 125 tackles, 16.5 of which were for a loss. He also had two interceptions and 3.5 sacks. As for speed, Bishop displayed a little bit of quickness at his pro day when he posted a 5.21 40-yard dash time. That's not too bad a time for a guy who is 6 feet and 306 pounds.

Over the past year, the Cowboys lost Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher for different reasons. All three of those players were Pro Bowlers and were defensive leaders.

Bringing in Bishop is not going to help the Cowboys replace the production they lost from losing those three. What he can do for the team, however, is provide needed depth at a key position.

During his time at Northern Illinois, Bishop showed that his size allows him to deal with multiple blockers at a time. He is always looking to cause as much of a headache as he can for opposing offenses.

The Cowboys have to be excited about what Bishop could turn into with some coaching up from defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. The former Detroit Lions head coach has worked with the likes of Henry Melton and Julius Peppers and helped both improve their game.

Bishop is not a guy who is going to come in and make an instant impact. It will probably be a year or two before fans start hearing his name past the month of August.

That being said, Marinelli has worked wonders with defensive linemen less talented than Bishop more than a few times in his career. The coach will welcome the opportunity to develop a raw talent like the former Huskies standout.

His immediate role with Dallas will be purely from a depth standpoint, backing up the likes of Nick Hayden, Melton and Terrell McClain. There's even the possibility that Bishop will be designated to the practice squad to start the 2014 season.

While he's not going to see significant playing time right away, Bishop will be a fun project for Marinelli. He will work with one of the best defensive line coaches in the league likely as either a No. 3 or 4 backup tackle or practice squad member. It will probably be a few seasons before he makes any significant contributions on defense.

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