Dallas Cowboys still have not cleared Sean Lee fully
Dallas Cowboys inside linebacker Sean Lee (50) on the sidelines during the game against the Houston Texans. Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee has proven that he is an All-Pro talent at the position and has overtaken DeMarcus Ware as the best player on a Cowboys defense in sore need of more playmakers, but he hasn’t proven that he can consistently be healthy year-in and year-out. The Penn State product hasn’t played in every game in a season during his four-year career, and he played in just a combined 17 out of 32 games over the past two seasons. Two separate injuries caused Lee to miss five games this past year, and he still hasn’t been medically cleared from a sprained ligament in his neck that caused him to miss the final three weeks of the season.
ESPN Dallas’s Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys medical staff still haven’t fully cleared Lee, who continues to rehab from the injury. While Lee doesn’t need surgery and is improving, it’s interesting to see that his neck is still bothering him. He’s still expected to be ready for all offseason activities, with the first workouts opening up on the 21st of April.
Lee said, “I think it was just having time to heal, allowing that ligament to heal and it takes a certain amount of time. I think we’re on the path to where it’s pretty much there.”
One of the best linebackers in the NFL, Lee recognizes that he needs to try his best to stay healthy going forward, but it doesn’t sound like this neck injury will be an issue going forward at all. The Cowboys are just taking things slowly, and there’s no need to rush things at all. It’s all about making sure Lee is brought along slowly and heals fully, and this news is merely a note of interest rather than any cause for concern. Of course, what is concerning are Lee’s consistent injuries, so we’ll all be hoping that 2014 will be the first year in which he is healthy for all 16 games (Cowboys fans will be hoping for more than 16, if you catch my drift).