The Dallas Cowboys weren’t silent on the day where the NFL kicked off its self-imposed legal tampering period for free agency. In an offseason where significant work remains, the team has been ready and willing to make tough decisions on some of their most important players.
Over the past week, the Cowboys used the franchise tag on tight end Dalton Schultz, traded wide receiver Amari Cooper, re-signed fellow wideout Michael Gallup to a long-term deal, and cleared salary cap space by restructuring or releasing a handful of players.
Yet one of the most talked about decisions on the Cowboys’ offseason to-do list remained ominously untouched until Monday.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and his mammoth contract, came into the spring with his status in limbo. While whispers circulated that the Cowboys might release the veteran edge rusher, the franchise pulled a rabbit out of their hat and instead signed Lawrence to a new, cap-friendlier contract.
The fresh three-year deal keeps Lawrence with the Cowboys and guarantees him more money than he was due to receive on his old deal. In return, Dallas gains valuable cap dollars that can be used to improve the team in free agency or retain their own players.
It’s a win-win deal for the Cowboys and their 2014 second-round pass rusher. The Cowboys will now likely keep Lawrence for the duration of his career and the team doesn’t have to face the ignominy of releasing one of their better defenders.
Instead, Dallas gains space under the cap and Lawrence gets more financial security.
Lawrence, who was set to count $27 million against the cap this season, saw his cap number drop to $14 million in 2022, saving the team a handsome sum as they try to re-sign more of their priority free agents.
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With Lawrence now returning, and the Cowboys having some extra coin in their pocket, conventional wisdom says the team will turn their attention to fellow defensive end Randy Gregory and safety Jayron Kearse.
If Dallas wants both of those players back with the team, the extra cap space was likely necessary to get deals done.
Even without Gregory or Kearse, the Cowboys needed to keep Lawrence around. The veteran out of Boise St. heads into his ninth season as one of the best defensive players on the squad and is still one of the best two-way DEs in the league.
There aren’t many pass rushers who can hold up against the run like Lawrence, and the Cowboys struggled to stop the run when he was out of the lineup last season.
Lawrence missed 10 games in 2021, but he did have three sacks, five tackles for a loss, and added an interception that he returned for a score. The Dallas defense played some of their best football down the stretch with Lawrence back in the lineup.
The absence was the first time since the 2016 campaign Lawrence missed games, and he’s played through nagging shoulder injuries throughout his career.
It has been three years since Lawrence has put up a double-digit sack season, but if he stays healthy, he can still disrupt the quarterback. If the Cowboys can bring back Gregory or find another pass rusher to pair with Lawrence and last year's rookie sensation Micah Parsons, the two-time Pro Bowl performer could be in line to get back to double figures.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old Lawrence has some good football left in him and he remains a leader in the locker room for the Cowboys’ defense. His return was essential for Dallas to build on their defensive momentum under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and to keep some continuity after a season where the defense made strides.
After the relationship looked doomed, DeMarcus Lawrence and the Cowboys agreed on a deal that likely makes the man they call Tank a Cowboy for life. Now with some wiggle room under the cap, the domino effect from this compromise will be interesting to watch.
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