Week 3 of the NFL season provided its fair share of surprises. The Bills beat the Vikings, the Lions beat the Patriots and Jimmy Garoppolo’s season came to abrupt end after he suffered and ACL tear. The news that Dallas Cowboys All Pro linebacker Sean Lee will miss the next few weeks with a hamstring injury was not at all surprising. 2018 marks Sean Lee’s 9th year in the league and no Cowboy fan needs reminding that he has never once played an entire 16 game season.
The oft injured linebacker is by far the best defensive player on the Dallas Cowboys. He is the defensive captain, play caller, the heart, soul and brains of the Cowboys defense. He is a tackling machine and when he is on the field he is always around the ball making plays. Whenever he is out of the lineup the Cowboys are an entirely different team. And yet, more often than not he is out of the lineup for one injury or another. The Dallas Cowboys front office had committed to investing some serious money towards keeping Lee around in 2013 but now the landscape has changed. Sean Lee is now 32 years old and in the twilight of his injury riddled career. Next season he will count another $10 million against the salary cap if he remains with the team but only $3 million in dead cap space if the Cowboys decide to cut him. With Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and DeMarcus Lawrence due for new contracts and some other key contributors that are due to be paid, it is likely that 2018 will be Sean Lee’s last as a Dallas Cowboy.
It certainly makes sense from a business standpoint to release Sean Lee next season and the Cowboys do have 2 young stud linebackers in Jaylon Smith and Leigthon Vander Esch ready to take his place. But business decisions do not always align with what is best for a football team. In this case it would be wise for the Dallas Cowboys to figure out a way to keep Sean Lee on this team and renegotiate his contract. Sean Lee is more than just a great player, he is a film junky, a team leader, and a high character locker room presence. His knowledge and experience are invaluable to players like Smith and Vander Esch for their development and continued improvement. When he is in the game he is the most impactful player on the team but even on the sideline his input and contribution toward coaching are immensely valuable. And although Sean Lee may be 32 years old, the amount of games he has missed during his career makes him a young 32. Sean Lee has in fact had his best seasons toward the age of 30 so there is reason to believe he still has plenty left in the tank. At least enough in the tank to fulfill his current contract through to 2020.
So while it is likely and even prudent that the Dallas Cowboys will part ways with Sean Lee in 2019. I for one hope that 2018 is not the last time we see Sean Lee in a Dallas Cowboys uniform.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode