Mack’s backup growing into role
Backing up Khalil Mack is no picnic.
Often, after the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year does something remarkable at practice, Raiders coaches will look at the next man in line, second-year pass rusher James Cowser.
“They’ll say, ‘Hey, did you see how Khalil did that?’ and I will be like, ‘Yeah, I saw it …
“‘I don’t know if that’s in my skill set necessarily, but I will try,’ ” Cowser tells them, laughing at the memory. “I try to emulate it. It’s interesting seeing what Khalil does well and integrating it into how I work, and growing from that.”
At training camp, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. was impressed with Cowser, who has flashed skills at times in the first two preseason games.
“He’s amazing,” Norton said. “He’s that guy that’s always in your face. He’s always in the right place. He’s extremely bright. He knows how to react under all situations. I can’t find his weakness yet. He’s all over the place.”
At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, Cowser might be a tad undersized. But in his second season, Cowser said he understands the defense better, as far as coverage schemes and what coaches expect up front.
“I think that makes me a step faster,” he said. “Instead of always running through everything in my head right before a play, I can just go and hit. And my hand placement, explosion and foot placement is a little bit better, too.”
Cowser was undrafted out of Southern Utah despite having 43½ career sacks. Last season, he spent four weeks not on a roster after being cut, six weeks on the Raiders’ practice squad and the final six weeks on the active roster. Cowser had eight tackles and a sack.
“I am in better shape for sure now, more comfortable with things,” Cowser said. “My first NFL preseason game last year, I knew to expect to be tired, but I came out of the game drooling. I was a little more prepared this time.”
Not only is he stronger and faster, but he’s conditioned to be ready for defensive snaps, followed by play on special teams.
“It’s their time to evaluate you, so it’s not like there’s a normal rotation,” Cowser said. “My lungs are prepared now.”
Cowser ran hills in Utah this summer when he wasn’t abroad. The Utah native spent two weeks in China this offseason as a makeshift NFL ambassador.
“Fans there recognize the shield, and after the two weeks, they knew who I was,” Cowser said. “I did camps for kids and even an adult tackle camp. They were in full pads and hitting each other. They’re not familiar with a lot of aspects about the game, but they have the desire.”
It was desire that landed Cowser in China in the first place.
He wasn’t enthused about the finance boot camp that the NFL Player Engagement committee offered this summer, but he wanted to learn something. So Cowser asked league officials to call the NFL China office and see whether he could get an internship there. He was accepted with open arms.
Cowser actually took Chinese language classes back in the seventh and eighth grades.
“I learned one poem and one curse word,” he said. “That’s all I knew. When I went over there, I learned it.”
He said he now can order in Chinese in Bay Area restaurants, though he will have a hard time recreating his experiences abroad.
“I actually ate pig brain,” Cowser said. “They put it out and I said, ‘Is this brain? This is brain. …’ And they said, ‘Nahhhhh, it’s tofu.’ I didn’t think it was tofu, but I said, ‘Whatever,’ and ate it. They started laughing and saying, ‘It was brain, it was brain!’ They thought it was hilarious.”
Cowser said the texture was like that of “a soggy, dirty diaper.”
“I didn’t love it,” he said politely.
Though he’s better at reading the menu, Cowser no will longer look up and down the team’s depth chart to see where he stands before cutdown day, Sept. 2.
“That’s something I had to change,” Cowser said. “Last year, I worried about it a lot, and I felt like it was stressful and I was making it harder on myself. This year, I came in with the mind-set to play my heart out, learn every day and get better. Everything else is out of my control.”
So far, so good. Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been impressed.
“James is really, really one of the smarter football players out here,” Del Rio said. “He’s very instinctive; he’s got a natural feel for pass rush. I like him. He’s a guy that works hard every day, you can count on, and is very dependable.”
Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur