Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE
The secret is out regarding Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Sean Lissemore, who was signed to a three-year contract extension on Thursday, pushing his free agency back from 2014 to 2017. T he deal includes salaries of a little over half a million dollars and $3.1 million in guarantees. It’s long been rumored that Lissemore was in the Cowboys’ long-term plans, but that’s not up in the air anymore. This new deal means Lissemore is no longer just a reserve.
Many Cowboys analysts began to think Lissemore could become a star after limited playing time during his rookie season in 2010. He was even named a “secret superstar” by Pro Football Focus before the start of the 2011 season. It was then that he was expected to play a larger role in Dallas’ defense, yet Lissemore did not start a single game of his sophomore campaign.
Lissemore did play in every game of the 2011 season, though, recording 39 tackles and two sacks. With starting nose tackle Jay Ratliff still nursing a high ankle sprain, Lissemore should get more playing time against the Seattle Seahawks this week. However, the position in which he could do the most damage is defensive end and Lord knows he could do better than current starter Kenyone Coleman opposite Jason Hatcher.
The extension is a great move by the Cowboys, but now it’sP time for the team to play Lissemore and turn him loose. This secret superstar business will never come to fruition if he’s kept reined in.
Jeric Griffin is the Director of Content for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jeric on Twitter @JericGriffin or ”Like” Jeric on Facebook
