For the first time in what feels like forever, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense is still dominant without Sean Lee on the field. For many years, Lee’s injuries have shown us the worst of this defense but finally that’s not the case. Thanks to Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch, the Cowboys should feel just fine without #50 wearing pads on gameday.
As the Cowboys get ready to play the Washington Redskins on the road in their quest for a winning record, Sean Lee is expected to return to the field. He was a full participant on practice on both Thursday and Friday and should make his way back to the field today.
But how much will he play?
Usually, we would be talking about this defense being desperate for his help. He’s been rushed back to the field on many occasions simply because the team’s linebackers weren’t doing enough without him. This year though, the narrative is different.
Even before he got injured in week 3 playing against the Seattle Seahawks, Lee had been struggling. Now granted, he wasn’t looking bad, but we were watching him miss a few tackles here and there which simply isn’t something you’d expect from a player such as himself.
The rookie out of Boise State has made a really good job justifying why the front office decided to invest a first round pick on him. So far, Leighton Vander Esch has accounted for 49 tackles, 40 of which have been solo. The kid can play, period. He’s done nothing but get better and better by the week and the snaps he’s gotten replacing Lee have helped him a ton.
With the veteran returning, what’s in store for this linebacker rotation?
Honestly, with the bye week so close, I think this will depend a lot on how this game starts off. If it comes to a point in which the Cowboys are comfortably leading and have no concerns of losing the match, why not rest Lee as much as possible?
It’s clear that the defense is far from desperate for having #50 back on the field and it’s also clear that Lee is a player who could get injured at any given time.
Thanks to Smith’s and Vander Esch’s play, the Cowboys can afford to limit Lee’s snaps versus the Redskins today. Rest him as much as possible and throw him on just a few plays out there. Lee has suffered injuries on both hamstrings, which is another reason to take it slow with his return.
If they’re able to limit him today and then take advantage of the upcoming bye week it could pay Lee big dividends down the road. Dallas needs to realize they’re in a very comfortable position regarding Sean Lee. They have the option to take things slow.
Not only that but once he’s healthy, he doesn’t have to be on the field every single snap. It might be hard getting used to watching Lee slowly become a “situational” player because he’s so good to be only played on specific situations but that might be the way to make his availability improve.
It will be interesting to see how they handle the situation starting today as Lee is slated to play football against an NFC East rival.
