What does Cassius Marsh bring to Patriots?

The pickup of defensive end/linebacker Cassius Marsh appears to be a chance for the Patriots to acquire a young pass rusher who may still ascending, but just couldn’t find a spot in Seattle's deep defensive system.

A 6-foot-4, 269-pounder, the 25-year-old had three sacks and 22 combined tackles in 16 games with Seattle last year. Also a part-timer on special teams, he managed to impress more than a few people this past offseason and over the course of the summer, including now former teammate Michael Bennett, who had plenty of good things to say about Marsh last month.

“This is a guy who has worked with me all this summer and to see his progression as a player, his conditioning, his work ethic and his mindset for the game this year,” Bennett said of Marsh. “I think Cassius is going to be a guy who is very exciting and it is going to be a really great year.”

In a perfect scenario for the Patriots, he can step in and provide depth on the edge for a group that includes Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise and (likely) Dont'a Hightower.