Hypothetically Speaking: Three fits for Sean Lee outside of the Dallas Cowboys

 

Nobody wants to talk about this; I certainly don’t. However, with the Cowboys suddenly finding themselves with a crowded linebacker pool, it’s time to consider the unthinkable: Is it possible that Sean Lee is going to wind up being the odd man out, and if so, where might he find himself in 2019? Listed below are three potential landing spots for Lee, were Dallas to no longer have need of him and were to try and continue his playing career elsewhere.

1. Oakland Raiders

It’s difficult to tell what exactly John Gruden and the Raiders are looking for in future additions to their team. Their dumping of Kahlil Mack and Amari Cooper means they aren’t particularly interested in a youth movement in Oakland but are in serious need of leadership for a defense that has shown some shine here in the last few weeks. Lee could be a lynchpin for this Raiders defense that helps get them back on track in the AFC West.

2.Pittsburgh Steelers

With potential coaching changes on the horizon and Ryan Shazier’s football future still in flux, there comes a potential opening in Pittsburgh alongside an up and coming T.J. Watt which could allow the Steelers to load up at other positions in a draft which is top-heavy with defensive talent.

3. Green Bay Packers

Doesn’t it just seem like a good fit?

With Ha Ha Clinton-Dix gone to Washington and Clay Matthews gearing up for free agency, this may be a move that Green Bay should look into. As coaching changes come underway for the Packers, solid leadership will be needed to will the Packers back into competitive form, and Lee could provide just that. Now if only he could catch the ball for Rodgers as well.

However, the more reasonable option may be that Lee stays in an administrative capacity on the sideline in Dallas. His body clearly is calling for an end to his career, though he may wish to play on. Only time will tell.

It seems almost surreal that in 2018 Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, Doug Free, Dan Bailey, and nearly the entire defensive unit from that era would be long gone- And adding Sean Lee to that list would mark the absolute end of an era for the Dallas Cowboys. There was once a time when the Cowboys’ defensive unit sunk or swam depending on Lee’s availability, but now they are performing at a near-elite level almost entirely without him. And although letting Lee go from Dallas may not be a popular opinion, his tendency to be injured and the $7 million owed to him on the final year of a 6-year, $42 million contract may push opinions the other direction.