Houston Texans defensive tackle Brandon Dunn waited almost four months to meet rookie defensive tackle Ross Blacklock.
From what the 27-year-old has seen of the former TCU product, Dunn is impressed.
“The rookie has done good, man,” Dunn said. “He plays hard. He’s very coachable. He listens. He asks. He goes to work every day. That’s all you can really ask out of a rookie.”
Blacklock normally would have been involved in an offseason program that would have allowed him to work alongside Dunn before training camp. However, COVID-19 forced the NFL to make changes to offseason workouts.
Even though Dunn has had limited opportunities, even in the extended training camp that will include zero preseason games, he can tell that Blacklock has a passion for the game that will carry over on Sundays.
“Just seeing from him, you just see a guy who just actually loves ball,” Dunn said. “You can just tell the way his mannerisms are and the way he is on the field, he actually wants to be here and get better. That’s all you want to see out of a rookie.
“It can get kind of crazy sometimes in your first year, especially this year, but he’s working hard.”
The Texans would benefit from having Blacklock play above expectations as the defensive line lost defensive tackle D.J. Reader in free agency to the Cincinnati Bengals. Blacklock, who is primarily a defensive tackle, also has the ability to kick outside and play a little edge in first year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s 3-4 defense.
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