Almost four years after the Jets drafted him 20th overall, linebacker Darron Lee might on his way out of New York.
The Jets gave C.J. Mosley a huge $85 million contract to start alongside Avery Williamson in the middle of the defense, effectively making Lee expendable at the linebacker position. Gregg Williams could find use for Lee, but it would most likely be on the bench and in sub packages.
Another option is to trade Lee.
In three seasons with the Jets, Lee failed to live up to his first-round expectations. He tallied 238 combined tackles, but only four sacks and 17 tackles for a loss. Lee offers some intrigue, though. He’s only 24 and his speed and coverage abilities could make him valuable if used properly.
WIth that in mind, here are four potential trade suitors for the Jets defender.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos are in desperate need of an inside linebacker after letting Brandon Marshall walk this offseason. Denver doesn’t have much depth at linebacker behind edge rushers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. Todd Davis, the Broncos other inside linebacker, is a similar build to Lee.
New Denver head coach Vic Fangio knows how to utilize players built like Lee. When he was the defensive coordinator in Chicago in 2018, Fangio turned first-round pick Roquan Smith into a 112-tackle linebacker. Smith and Lee are almost identical in size and ran similar 40-yard dash times at their respective combines.
Without much linebacker depth, it wouldn’t be surprising for Fangio and the Broncos to take a flier on the Jets’ former first-round pick.
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders are in the midst of a massive rebuild on defense after trading away Khalil Mack and really need an inside linebacker. Oakland has one of the worst linebacker corps in the league, and current starters Jason Cabinda and Marquel Lee have a combined for 19 starts and 111 tackles in three total seasons in the league.
Jon Gruden has plenty of draft capital and could easily part with a mid- or late-round pick to secure the young Lee, who would immediately upgrade his defense.
Detroit Lions
Another team in need of a defensive overhaul, the Lions are an intriguing option since they play in a 4-3 base scheme. Detroit could use an upgrade over Christian Jones on the outside and Lee could fit right in as a speedy linebacker.
Lee hasn’t played in the 4-3 since his time at Ohio State, but a position change could be just what Lee needs after three marginally unproductive seasons in New York.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals need someone to fill the void left by the released Vontaze Burfict, and Lee would be a great replacement in the middle of their defense. The two are extremely similar in size, though Burfict packs much more of a punch than Lee.
Cincinnati also plays in the 4-3, but even if it switched schemes, Lee would fit in and contribute, either as a starter or a role player. At the very least, he would battle Jordan Evans for the starting role.
With a new coaching regime, the Bengals could use an infusion of different talent and Lee would give them a young, versatile and speedy option in the middle.
