Why Losing Demarcus Lawrence is Not the End of the World for the Cowboys
Longtime Dallas Cowboys Demarcus Lawrence has decided to leave Dallas for the Seattle Seahawks. Lawrence, 32, spent 11 years as a star defensive player for the Cowboys, recording over 61.5 sacks. On his way out from Dallas, Lawrence sparked some beef as he stated in an interview with a Seattle blogger that “Dallas is my home… but I know for sure I’m not going to win there.” Micah Parsons did not take the quote lightly as they exchanged tweets back and forth. The argument eventually evolved into a tweeting fest between Dallas players and Lawrence. His departure is one that hurts Dallas; however, it is not the end of the world for the Cowboys.
Production
Lawrence had two great seasons back to back in 2017 and 2018, where he recorded double-digit sacks for the only time in his career. Past these two seasons, however, Lawrence’s sack numbers have gone down year after year, notably having only three sacks this past year. His contribution to the run game was essential for the Cowboys’ defense, but for his price tag of three years, $32.5 million, and $18 million guaranteed, it was best that Dallas stayed away. Lawrence’s injury history is another concern, as he has missed time in important seasons for the Cowboys, like 2016 and 2021. He also missed 13 games this past season with a season-ending injury against the Giants in Week Four.
New and Upcoming Talent
Dallas does have concerns over their defensive end position, but they have young talent, which they hope can take the torch and become special alongside Parsons. Sam Williams, who missed last year due to an injury in OTAs, is a young edge rusher who has shown sparks in his time on the field. Marshawn Kneeland is another young player Dallas has high hopes for with a promising rookie season. Dallas has even re-signed former Cowboy Dante Fowler, who recently had 10.5 sacks this past season with the Commanders. Losing Lawrence, a longtime Cowboy, will be hard to recover from, but having young talent, a veteran presence returning, and multiple chances to pick a defensive end in this draft, it is not the end of the world for this Dallas defense.
