How the Darron Lee signing impacts the Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders added to their linebacker group on Thursday, and here is how the signing of Darron Lee affects them for the 2021 season.

The Las Vegas Raiders continue to revamp their roster heading into training camp, signing a former first round pick on Thursday. Linebacker Darron Lee brings with him a ton of experience at the NFL level, but he has bounced around, and has still yet to find a home.

So what does the signing mean for the Raiders and the rest of the position group? Let us take a look at his history, and what the impact could be.

How the Darron Lee signing impacts the Las Vegas Raiders

Darron Lee’s History

On Thursday, Adam Schefter reported that the Las Vegas Raiders officially signed linebacker Darron Lee. Lee was drafted by the New York Jets with the 20th pick in the first round of the 2016 draft.

Before getting drafted, Lee had a solid career at Ohio State University. He only participated in two full seasons as a linebacker due to an injury during his freshman year, yet still made a major impact on the defense. In those two seasons, Lee tallied in 146 total tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, and three interceptions.

He was also named the defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl.

For New York, Lee’s performances were much less impressive. While he was a useful run stopper and tackler, achieving a career-high 94 tackles in 2017, he struggled in pass defense quite often. In 2018, he allowed for a 68% completion when targeted, with 9.3 yards surrendered on each completion.

Lee was eventually traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 for a 2020 sixth-round pick, then joined the Buffalo Bills in 2020, but he served a four-game suspension and only played in two games.

Lee looks to get his career back on track with Las Vegas, likely hoping to get on the field as much as he did in New York and at Ohio State.