Darron Lee is excited to bring speed and coverage skills to Kansas City Chiefs defense

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Darron Lee spoke to the media on Thursday after practice and took questions about his first few days with the team.

The Kansas City Chiefs most recent import is linebacker Darron Lee, a former first round pick by the New York Jets who never quite lived up his pre-draft buzz or initial investment. The Chiefs hope they landed another low-risk gem who will blossom in a new environment with different coaching.

As for Lee, he agrees that the change in scenery is a good thing and he’s very excited to be in Kansas City. The Chiefs gave him an opportunity to speak to reporters for the first time on Thursday, after practice at OTAs, and he said he’s glad to be a part of “something special.”

“It’s been a great situation, I feel, to come here and learn a new system, to be a part of something special,” says Lee. “These guys have something really going here as we’ve seen the past couple years, especially last year, and I’m really excited just to be here and be a part of this team.”

Lee said he learned of the trade by phone, a trade that occurred after months and months of being on the trade block. The Jets made no secret of the fact that Lee was available and interim GM Adam Gase pulled the trigger after former Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan was fired. “I was happy for sure,” Lee said.

“I don’t really keep my nose into that. I let the front office handle that. But when it happened, I was excited. Like I said, I knew a couple guys here already. I was excited to have a fresh start and a new team. I’m just really excited to be here.”

Lee has only had a single three-day session of offseason training activities to become familiar with not only his new teammates and home but a brand new coaching staff and scheme. However, Lee says he likes what he sees so far.

“When it comes to learning a new defense, it’s not something easy that can be learned overnight,” says Lee. “There are obviously going to be learning curves. Everybody is different. But I know that the energy within the defense from what I’ve seen these past three days, everyone’s excited but everyone’s patient. That’s what you’d like to see out of a group of guys.”

As for what he brings to the table, he sees it as an ideal fit for how the Chiefs play football. The Chiefs have one asset every other team lacks: Patrick Mahomes. His presence alone will force opposing teams to try to keep up.

“You’re going to have to throw the ball around to keep up with 15. [I’m looking forward to] being able to go out and cover and use my speed and make big plays… to add that playmaking ability and speed to this defense.”

Lee should compete for a starting role in the Chiefs revamped defense. At the very least, he should get plenty of snaps as a coverage linebacker in multiple looks for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.