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Who’s to blame when there is a fall from grace? It’s not always an easy answer.
At some point before the start of the NFL season, it seems inevitable that Jets linebacker Darron Lee will be cemented as general manager Mike Maccagnan’s biggest bust on his four-year draft record, surpassing quarterback Christian Hackenberg, a 2016 second-round reach.
Taken 20th overall in the first round of that same draft, Lee has been all over the trade-rumor mill this offseason. Reports had him being dangled during the draft two weeks ago. Last Wednesday, the Jets declined to exercise their fifth-year team option for the 2020 season on Lee, another indication that he isn’t part of their future plan. The Jets’ salary-cap hit for Lee, 24, would have been approximately $10 million.
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Images Albeit buried on the depth chart.
The Jets went out of their way to replace Lee by inking former Ravens tackling machine C.J. Mosley to a massive five-year, $85 million free agent contract to join Avery Williamson in the middle of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ 3-4 defense. Maccagnan also re-signed Neville Hewitt in March to a one-year, $1.5 million contract and then drafted Blake Cashman in the fifth round last month. Hewitt and Cashman are expected to be big contributors on special teams.
At this stage, Lee looks like the odd man out.
Which I find odd for a player with a skill set that seems well-suited to the modern game. ESPN’s Rich Cimini recently wrote about how the Jets could still use Lee in a “niche role,” like on passing downs. The scouting report on Lee coming out of college on NFL.com noted his plus speed and agility, whether in coverage or on blitzes.
After two seasons in which Lee was ranked last by ProFootballFocus.com among 87 NFL linebackers with at least 800 defensive snaps with a coverage grade of 35.5, he sure figured it out in 2018. Lee received the fourth-best coverage grade (84.8) from PFF while recording the first three interceptions of his career and five passes defended, also a career high. All while committing zero penalties.
The biggest transitional concern for Lee when turning pro was how well he would be able to manage dealing with bigger NFL blockers.
It turned out to be not so well.
Lee’s tenure has been marred by missed tackles and numerous instances when he’d either plug the wrong hole or get driven out of the play by blockers in the run game.
In other words, he was miscast.
I’ve hammered former head coach Todd Bowles numerous times in past columns for his insistence in pounding Lee’s square peg of a game into the team’s round hole of a defensive scheme. In my opinion, Lee should have been developed as an outside linebacker from Day 1.
Besides the fit, outside linebacker has certainly been a position of need on this team since forever. Lee came into the league at 6 feet 1 inch, 232 pounds, while running a 4.47 40 time at the NFL combine, the fastest among all outside linebackers in that draft year.
Imagine that it was Lee on the edge instead of the trash Bowles had lined up there in the last three seasons: Josh Martin, Lorenzo Mauldin, Mike Catapano, David Bass and, during last season, Brandon Copeland, Frankie Luvu and Jeremiah Attaochu. Copeland’s five sacks in 2018 were the most of anyone in that God-awful group.
Lee bears some responsibility for his failings. Last season was cut short when he received a four-game suspension for substance abuse. The suspension voided the remaining $1.8 million guarantee on Lee’s rookie deal this season. The Jets would still be on the hook for his approximately $1.3 million prorated bonus for salary-cap purposes should he be cut.
In 2017, Lee was deactivated for a game for showing up late to practice. Prior to that season, he was involved in an off-field verbal incident with a girlfriend that resulted in no punishment following a league investigation.
The word “culture” is often thrown around by executives in all sports, including Maccagnan. It seems like the Jets throwing all that excessive money to obtain Mosley was a signal that Maccagnan felt he needed more adults in the locker room.
Then again, Maccagnan subsequently drafted a couple of players -- linebacker Jachai Polite and tackle Chuma Edoga -- with spotty character records.
In the end, this team is supposed to represent Maccagnan’s vision. Only guard Brian Winters and wide receiver Quincy Enunwa remain from the prior regime. Everyone else was hand-picked by Maccagnan.
If Lee is indeed shown the door before this season, that goes on Maccagnan’s ledger. The buck stops with him.