Dallas City News

The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of business to do as three of their biggest stars are coming to the end of their contracts. Extending Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and eventually Micah Parsons are all important moves the front office needs to get done so the team can stay competitive for years to come. While it’s hard to find more valuable players than the big three, another guy on the team is almost as valuable and happens to have an expiring contract coming as well. That guy is DeMarcus Lawrence.

Lawrence has played 10 seasons in the league and even still, people aren’t sure what to make of him. For some fans, he’s one of the most underrated players in the game as he’s always getting his hands dirty and coming up with big plays. His contributions don’t go unnoticed by broadcasters as they have been singing his praise for years. It’s hard to make it through a game without someone talking about how valuable he is.

Others have a different perspective. After the 2018 season, Lawrence was coming off two straight double-digit sack seasons and was rewarded handsomely with a five-year, $105 million deal. This made him the second-highest-paid edge rusher in the league, behind only Khalil Mack. Suddenly, expectations were raised. Lawrence has since played five seasons and in those five collective years, he still has fewer total sacks than he did during that two-year stretch that helped him get paid. He’s a good player, but some quickly remind us he is not an elite sack master.

Two years ago, these two sides came together when Lawrence agreed to a reduced salary to remain with the team. It consisted of a new three-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. The Cowboys have already paid him his guaranteed money with the only thing left is his $10 million base salary for the upcoming season. Even without the unspectacular sack numbers, Lawrence is coming off two consecutive Pro Bowl seasons. He’s widely known as one of the best run-stopping defensive ends in the game and most would agree that he’s an absolute bargain.

Whether you owned stock in Tank, Inc. early or late, it’s pretty clear that he’s a valuable asset. Lawrence will be an unrestricted free agent next year, and what’s next for him is unknown, but he hinted around last week that he has no interest in hanging things up and could play another five years.

The thinking for some might be that Lawrence would play out the remainder of his contract in Dallas and then the team would replace him with younger players. After all, they selected a run-stopping defensive end in the second round of April’s draft, the same round they got Lawrence in ten years ago. However, there might be a better option and that option would be keeping him around a little longer. Here are four reasons why this makes sense.

HE’S STILL REALLY GOOD

Lawrence has been north of 30 years of age for two years and shows no signs of slowing down. One of the big reasons for this is that he’s a fundamentalist. Don’t get me wrong, the strength and athleticism are there, but he’s so refined that he can maximize his skills to get great results. Lawrence always has a plan. How many times have we seen him dart into the backfield untouched? He has great play awareness, is quick off the snap, and aggressively attacks the ball carrier. He possesses elite hand techniques. Whether it’s the cross chop or counter club, he’s always attacking the hands of the blocker, and he uses his quickness and power to toss blockers aside.

HE’S RESILIENT

Oddly enough, there was a time when this guy was labeled as injury-prone. That’s because early in his career, he struggled to stay healthy. Broken feet and back issues have certainly been a thing for him. He missed half the year in two of his first three seasons in the league. That’s not a good start. But would you believe that Lawrence has since played a full season in six of the last seven years? And that includes 40 straight games spanning over the last two and a half seasons. Injuries happen, but Lawrence has surprisingly been able to stay on the field most of the time over the last several years. His nickname is Tank for crying out loud. He’s the epitome of toughness.

HE’S A HIGH-CHARACTER GUY

It’s so crazy to think that Lawrence was once viewed as being a character concern, but he was. It might be a big reason he slid within striking distance of the 2014 NFL draft. Lawrence’s path wasn’t filled with sunshine and rainbows. He had to play for Butler Community College (which he mentions in his game intros) because of academic issues. He was suspended multiple times at Boise State for disciplinary reasons and violating team rules. You couldn’t read a draft profile back in 2014 without pundits mentioning that scouts would need to investigate his character.

Those days are long gone as not only has he been no trouble at all (save a four-game suspension in 2016 for using banned substances while recovering from an injury), but he was a Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee last year. Lawrence has matured so much. He has more patience, plays with laser-sharp focus, and understands what is needed to get the job done. He’s one of the more vocal leaders on the team. His ability to shift intensities from being an intimidating soul-snatching pass rusher to a composed leader of men is a quality any locker room would welcome.

HE’S AFFORDABLE

If the Cowboys moved on from Lawrence it would be because they have some comparable options at a much lower cost. The rookie Kneeland would be a perfect candidate. But potential and reality aren’t always the same. The Cowboys have some uncertainty at the position. Kneeland is unproven and another former second-round edge rusher Sam Williams has yet to break out. Keeping Lawrence around wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The Cowboys should be able to extend him for a good price. Lawrence has already demonstrated he’s willing to take a pay cut. He’ll have over $127 million in career earnings after the upcoming season. And his strong family values could persuade him to keep his home in Dallas. The Jones family loves a good deal and retaining one of the game’s best defensive linemen outside the top 25 in price is a screaming good deal!