NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Dallas Cowboys: Sean Lee and his role in 2015

By Stephen Forsha

facebooktwitterreddit

The Dallas Cowboys have added new players via free agency to their defense and have addressed needs to that unit through the draft, but there is one player who is more important to their success than any other.

That player is Sean Lee, and for the Cowboys to make a difference in games on the defensive side of the ball for the 2015 season, Lee must be on the field, because the captain of the unit will be the one player who brings all of the changes together.

More from Dallas Cowboys

Lee missed last season after tearing his ACL during mini camp in a freak accident during drills, but the linebacker seems to be recovering well from that injury, and he’s “ahead of schedule.”

We all watched how the defense played without Lee in ’14, who could be moved from middle to weakside linebacker, and the result wasn’t as crisp as it would have been with No. 50 on the field.

Marc Sessler of NFL.com wrote this about Lee over the weekend:

"“A healthy Lee would make a world of difference to the ‘Boys.”"

On Twitter, Jon Machota had this to say about Lee:

Back to the sentence written by Sessler … about Lee “making a world of difference,” he’s telling the truth 100-percent, and I can’t disagree with him. Lee’s importance to the defense hasn’t been shown a lot on the field lately, but it is known.

Lee has been in the league for five seasons, and in the four seasons he’s been on the field for the club, the linebacker has played in 46 total regular-season games. In those games, he has 294 total tackles (92 assisted) with 11 interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

One stat that might have gone unnoticed with Lee is he’s not recorded a sack while in the NFL. In the last season he’s played (2013), Lee totaled 99 combined tackles (68 solo) with one fumble recovery and four interceptions. He also had six passes defended that season with one touchdown on an interception.

This is what I like about what Lee brings to the Cowboys’ defense … versatility. He can stuff the run, but go out and play in coverage for the interceptions. Sure, he doesn’t get the sack numbers, but the interceptions he causes might be more important than any sack he would tally.

Jon Machota of DallasNews.com had this to say about the skill set of Lee at linebacker:

"“Playing on the weakside should limit the number of shots he takes. The weakside linebacker in this scheme is protected by the three-tech tackle so Lee should have more freedom to roam and make plays.”"

Having Lee on the defense and playing is something the Cowboys really need for the ’15 season. They added some volatile personalities who’ve had some off-the-field issues the past couple seasons, and having Lee on the field to mesh it all together into one very strong defense would make the Cowboys that much stronger and more competitive for the upcoming football season.

Next: Dallas Cowboys 2015 Draft Grades

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Dallas Cowboys