Dallas Cowboys: Cut Sean Lee to keep Anthony Hitchens?

Should the Dallas Cowboys cut Sean Lee if it were the only way to afford keeping the younger (and healthier) Anthony Hitchens on the roster?

The Dallas Cowboys have been trying to get better at calling it quits with veteran players. In the past they clung to running back Marion Barber and receiver Terrell Owens too long. It caused them some issues with the salary cap, but in recent years they’ve done better.

They allowed running back DeMarco Murray to leave, feeling like his health and age meant it would be more prudent to pay a younger guy instead. That came not long after they released DeMarcus Ware after feeling as if his pay was greater than his play.

While it hurt watching some beloved figures leave, it made financial sense and Dallas is finally on the road to being comfortable in terms of the salary cap. According to OverTheCap.com, heading into the 2018 offseason, they’re estimated to be just under $18.5 million under the salary cap. They look to be in even better shape after that as their cap liabilities drop nearly $50 million the following season.

That of course will change as players get extensions, but the problem is some of those extensions need to be done before this next season and their space isn’t exactly great. That means they will have to get creative in their deals.

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One guy who has to come back is defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. After recording 14.5 sacks, he will demand a huge portion of their free space, leaving little room for linebacker Anthony Hitchens, an unsung hero of the defense.

That doesn’t mean it would be impossible to keep him though. One way however may involve cutting one of the best in the business, linebacker Sean Lee. Designating Lee as a post-June 1 cut would create $7 million in cap space for the Boys, more than enough to keep their other linebacker.

Why could Lee be cut

This obviously is all speculation, but Lee isn’t in a much different spot now than Ware when Dallas cut him following the 2013 season. Lee owns a cap hit of more than $11 million, but has struggled with health. He’s never played a full 16 games in the NFL and will turn 32 before the season.

Much like Ware, he’s become a star player that may not have enough play for his pay. Injuries have just been too much for the star linebacker and unless he’s willing to take a pay cut, this is a discussion the front office may have to have.

Is Hitchens worth it?

First off, Hitchens will be playing much longer than Lee will. He turns 26 before the season begins and it would be hard to watch him five or six years from now racking up tackles for another team while Lee is comfortably retired.

Hitchens clearly isn’t the same player as Lee, but he’s worth keeping around. While he did lose 4 games to a knee injury in 2017, Hitchens has already suited up for 16 games three times in his career. In fact, despite being in the league four years less than Lee, he has only 26 games less than Lee on the field.

He’s also started at all three spots for Dallas and recorded a career high 84 tackles in just 12 games this year. That proves the former fourth-round pick is only improving.

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Dallas surely has a tough decision to make. It’s not an enviable call, but if the numbers can’t be finagled, they may have to choose between keeping an up-and-comer in Anthony Hitchens or a savvy vet with a litany of injuries and missed games in Sean Lee.

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