Darron Lee earned the nickname “Little Dog” from Sheldon Richardson last season as a Jets rookie. But this year he has lacked bite, and is toothless and struggling.
Gang Green come into Sunday’s home opener versus the Dolphins ranked dead last in run defense. There are a host of culprits, but Lee is one of the more conspicuous ones. The linebacker, a former first-round pick, is listed at 6-foot-1, 232 pounds, but appears and plays much smaller. He has struggled to shed blocks from mammoth offensive linemen in general, and last weekend at Oakland in particular.
“I should’ve been able to make a couple more run plays here and there,” Lee said.