NFL Rumors: Could the Dallas Cowboys bring in Brian Urlacher to replace Sean Lee?
By Jack Crosby
The Dallas Cowboys on the first day of OTAs on Tuesday took a significant hit on the defensive side of the ball before the season even starts. Linebacker Sean Lee, looking to make his return following injury last season, tore his ACL on one of the earlier plays in practice. An MRI was done shortly thereafter revealing the tear and essentially leaving the Cowboys without Lee this season.
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Unfortunately, at this point, the replacement options are few and far between for the Cowboys and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
But could Marinelli’s first year as the defensive coordinator in Dallas be the key to bringing a suitable replacement out of retirement? More specifically, will former Chicago Bears star Brian Urlacher decide to put the cleats back on and help out his old coach?
According to NFL Network analyst Gil Brandt, it’s not all that far-fetched and could potentially happen.
"At least Lee’s injury came early enough for Dallas to formulate a plan to account for his loss, either by doing a big job on Hitchens or by finding someone else. Perhaps the Cowboys could coax former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who knows defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli‘s system, out of retirement."
Again, the key here is that Urlacher knows the system that Marinelli runs inside and out, having spent four years with him in Chicago.
Urlacher parted ways with the Bears following the 2012 season, and while he stated he did have something left in the tank, he decided to just retire instead after 13 seasons in the league.