Avery Williamson Darron Lee
Robby Sabo, ESNY Graphic, Getty Images

New York Jets inside linebackers Darron Lee and Avery Williamson are to assume a split of the defensive play-calling duties this season.

After his team’s practice on Sunday at Florham Park, New Jersey, head coach Todd Bowles opened up about the development of young Darron Lee.

In addition to witnessing his overall growth—watching the game slow down for him—Bowles unveiled a juicy nugget concerning Lee and his overall captaincy within the defense. He and newcomer Avery Williamson will split the play-calling duties this coming season, via Eric Allen of the New York Jets official website.

“He is fine with the play calling, Bowles said when speaking about the Ohio State product. “It goes back and forth between Darron and Avery Williamson and we have other guys that call it depending on the defensive package. We put that burden on a lot of people. He did a little bit of it last year as well, so it’s not like it is his first time.”

A year ago it was Demario Davis who handled this responsibility for the most part. David Harris was the leader in the middle of the defensive huddle two years ago and beyond. It’s critical D-Lee has zero issues relating to play-calling duties and captaining the defense as his sub-package pass-defense skills are far superior to Williamson’s.

Bowles, a former Super Bowl-winning safety with the Washington Redskins understands just how big a year this is for the kid.

It is a big season for everybody, it is not just Darron, he’s not an individual that needs a great season, we need a great season as a team, as a defense, as an offense and as special teams. So, we don’t look at individual performance, but he’s in shape every year. It is his third year; the game should slow down for him and he should play faster.

It is a big season for everybody, it is not just Darron, he’s not an individual that needs a great season, we need a great season as a team, as a defense, as an offense and as special teams. So, we don’t look at individual performance, but he’s in shape every year. It is his third year; the game should slow down for him and he should play faster.

Lee piled up 67 tackles, three sacks, three pass deflections and two forced fumbles in 15 games started a year ago. He took major strides from his subpar rookie season that saw him dress for 13 games and start just nine.

Darron Lee enters his third NFL season with plenty of talent and much to prove.

Robby Sabo is a co-founder, CEO and credentialed New York Jets content creator for Jets X-Factor - Jet X, which includes Sabo's Sessions (in-depth film breakdowns) and Sabo with the Jets. Host: Underdog Jets Podcast with Wayne Chrebet and Sabo Radio. Member: Pro Football Writers of America. Coach: Port Jervis (NY) High School. Washed up strong safety and 400M runner. SEO: XL Media. Founder: Elite Sports NY - ESNY (Sold in 2020). SEO: XL Media. Email: robby.sabo[at]jetsxfactor.com