Cowboys’ Sean Lee Tears ACL, Should Miss Entire 2014 Season
Tragedy struck the Cowboys’ 2014 organized team activities. In what was supposed to be a non-contact drill, 2014 first-round pick Zach Martin ran over middle linebacker Sean Lee, who tore his left ACL during the incident. Lee will likely miss the entire 2014 season.
Lee is no stranger to injury. He has missed 15 games over the past two seasons due to issues with his neck, wrist, and hamstring, and he tore his right ACL in college.
This is especially painful to Dallas considering they lost Demarcus Ware to free agency this offseason. In Ware’s absence, Lee was unquestionably the best player for the guys on defense. Lee may be the best middle linebacker currently in the league. Even still, being the best defensive player in Dallas is being a big fish in a small pond: in 2013, the Cowboys ranked 27th against the run and 30th against the pass.
Those dismal rankings were when the team had both Ware and Lee. The newly-acquired defensive tackle Henry Melton is the only player that stands out as above-average on the defensive side of Dallas’s roster: every other starting defender, from the underwhelming defensive end duo of George Selvie and Jeremy Mincey to draft bust cornerback Morris Claiborne, is average at best.
Talent-wise, the best player on defense may now be 2014 second-round pick Demarcus Lawrence, but first-year players often take a season or two before they catch on and start to effectively produce. Dallas looks to be in for another season of poor performances by the defense.
The situation is the opposite on offense, where the Cowboys are loaded with talent. Despite his reputation of choking when he is needed most, Tony Romo is still one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. He also has excellent weapons in Dez Bryant and Demarco Murray. With this good an offense and bad a defense, expect Dallas games to be shootouts this season.
Jerry Jones must be kicking himself for choosing Zach Martin over Johnny Manziel, or any other player that would potentially not have injured their star on defense.
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