If you were lucky enough to witness prime Sean Lee, you probably wondered how linebacker play could get any better. Even those who hate-watch the Dallas Cowboys couldn't help but appreciate No. 50, whose football instincts and IQ made every snap look like poetry in motion.
If you were lucky enough to witness prime Sean Lee, you probably remember a potential Hall of Fame career being cut short by some of the worst injury luck imaginable. It's easy for fans to romanticize "what could have been," but it's completely justified when it comes to Lee. He got robbed.
It could be easy to forget just how good Lee was, but The Athletic Football Show gave him proper recognition when it inducted 15 players into the "Hall of Very Good." Co-host Derrik Klassen nominated Lee, and his tribute hit the nail square on the head.
“Sean Lee, another very good player … When he was on the field, Sean Lee was one of the best coverage players in the NFL and one of the best pure run-through players … He found a way to get his hand on the ball in a way that not many linebackers at that time really did … He really was a special coverage player in terms of what he was able to take away – playing with a quarterback’s eyes, driving on the ball.
He, to me, along with guys like [Luke] Kuechly and Bobby Wagner fostered in a different era of linebacker in the NFL.”
Former Dallas Cowboys LB Sean Lee isn't appreciated enough
If your YouTube algorithm suddenly starts spitting out Sean Lee highlight recommendations, you're in good company.
In all seriousness, Lee was always one step ahead of everyone on the field. He's credited with 14 interceptions and 30 passes defended in his career, but that does not do justice to how big a problem he posed for opposing quarterbacks.
As difficult as it was to take your eyes off DeMarcus Ware, it was just as hard not to lock onto Lee before the snap. You couldn't help but be gravitated toward No. 50 because you knew his instincts would put him in the middle of the action.
Oftentimes, a player's true value becomes most apparent when he's not on the field. Very few embodied that more than Lee, whose absence badly exposed just how much he meant to the Dallas defense. Unfortunately, the team experienced that all too often, as he missed 58 games over his 10-year career, including missing at least five games in five different years.
And yet, Lee still accumulated 995 tackles in his career, which is the eighth-most of any Cowboy. With marginally better injury luck, he would comfortably hold the record.
The tackle numbers speak for themselves, but they only tell part of the story. Lee was the rare perfect player.
As gratifying as it was to see him receive the recognition he deserves and take a stroll down Memory Lane, it also serves as a sobering reminder that injuries robbed him of what looked like a Hall of Fame career.
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