Darron Lee: I’m Much More Comfortable With the Playbook

Darron Lee mentioned his comfort level with the Jets’ defensive system is rising in his second season in a radio interview early this week.

It is easy to forget that the team’s initial plan for last year likely had him taking on a smaller role than the one he actually had. The linebacker position had a ton of injuries along with Erin Henderson’s departure that forced Lee to take on a lot of playing time. By the end of the year the Jets were hopelessly out of the race so little was lost by throwing Lee out there and hoping he would learn from his struggles.

I know these are convenient excuses to make. None of this guarantees that Lee will actually improve, but it is worth remembering. Even for a first round pick, things sometimes don’t come easily. Sometimes it takes a year for a player to figure out what he is doing in the NFL.