Demarcus Lawrence - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys, DE DeMarcus Lawrence Agree To New Deal

March 14th, 2022 at 5:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys asked DeMarcus Lawrence to take a pay cut, but he refused. However, the sides agreed on a deal that will lower Lawrence’s 2022 cap hit and give him additional guaranteed money.

Dallas and Lawrence agreed to terms on a three-year, $40MM deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This contract comes with $30MM fully guaranteed, a positive development for Lawrence, who is coming off an injury-limited season.

Lawrence’s cap hit will drop from its previously steep perch ($27MM), giving Dallas more space. The 2022 number will drop to $14MM, Todd Archer of ESPN tweets. The Cowboys will run into a similar situation in 2023, when Lawrence’s cap figure vaults to $26MM. Dallas included a void year (2025) to spread out the cap hit.

This agreement will also benefit the Pro Bowl edge rusher in his early 30s. The guarantees from his previous five-year, $105MM contract only ran through the 2021 season. With Randy Gregory free to negotiate with other teams, the Cowboys have at least ensured their cornerstone defensive end will be back.

It appeared Dallas had balked when Lawrence refused to take a pay cut, but this compromise will bump the NFC East champs’ cap space north from its present $15MM-plus place. The Cowboys have already shipped out Amari Cooper‘s five-year, $100MM contract — a deal that had a nonguaranteed three years and $60MM remaining — and let Cedrick Wilson defect to the Dolphins. The team is set to cut or trade La’el Collins.

Lawrence, 30 in April, missed 10 games after suffering a foot injury ahead of Dallas’ Week 2 game. He finished the season with just three sacks, marking the former second-round pick’s third straight season with fewer than seven sacks. The Cowboys franchise-tagged Lawrence twice, during a period in which he made two Pro Bowls, but extended him in 2019. This marks the third long-term contract Lawrence has signed with the Cowboys.

DeMarcus Lawrence Declines Cowboys’ Pay-Cut Request

March 11th, 2022 at 3:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

FRIDAY: It appears the Cowboys asked for a hefty pay cut. They approached Lawrence about trimming his 2022 base salary from $19MM to $10MM, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes. Lawrence nearly halving his salary would be difficult to envision, despite his injury-altered 2021 season. With free agency less than a week away, the Cowboys will need to make a call here. Progress between the sides has proven elusive, and the Cowboys may be prepared to stand down and keep Lawrence on his present salary, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.

MONDAY: The Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence extension has not produced the kind of production he provided on his rookie contract or as a franchise-tagged player in 2018. Lawrence missed much of last season due to a broken foot, and the Cowboys will be forced into a decision on the veteran edge rusher soon.

Dallas requested Lawrence take a pay cut, but Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports the eight-year vet declined. Pay-cut requests often precede releases. The Cowboys would save $19MM by designating Lawrence a post-June 1 cut. While the team could make the cut at any point, it would not realize the savings until after that date.

Lawrence, 30 in April, is coming off a three-sack season. He has not totaled more than seven sacks in a season since 2018 but has helped teammates’ sack totals, as evidenced by Robert Quinn‘s bounce-back year in 2019. Lawrence wants to stay in Dallas, per Watkins, and cutting him would run the risk of the team losing both its edge starters.

The Cowboys are not planning to use their franchise tag on Randy Gregory, Watkins tweets. That is not surprising, given Gregory’s suspension history and the D-end tag checking in at $17.9MM. The Cowboys’ loyalty to Gregory during his hiatuses will surely factor into his free agency decision, but the talented pass rusher hitting the market obviously runs the risk of a defection. That complicates Dallas’ Lawrence decision.

Jerry Jones followed through with cutting DeMarcus Ware after requesting a pay cut in 2014. Ware went on to form an elite edge-rushing duo with Von Miller in Denver, doing so as Lawrence struggled to start his career. Lawrence found his footing by 2017, combining for 25 sacks over the next two seasons. The Cowboys tagged him twice but reached a five-year, $105MM extension soon after. Lawrence carries the Cowboys’ second-highest base salary in 2022.

Latest On Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence

March 9th, 2022 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

Recently, DeMarcus Lawrence declined the Cowboys’ request for a pay cut. Now, with days to go before the start of the new league year, there’s been zero progress on that front, according to Jane Slater of NFL.com (on Twitter). On the plus side, Slater hears that the Cowboys are making headway on a new deal with wide receiver Michael Gallup.

Lawrence, 30 in April, earned a five-year, $100MM+ extension following consecutive seasons with double digit sacks. Unfortunately, he hasn’t topped seven sacks since 2018 and he missed much of 2021 with a foot fracture.

The Cowboys could conceivably cut Lawrence and save $19MM if they use the post-June 1 designation. Meanwhile, they also have to consider Randy Gregory, who is out of contract. Releasing Lawrence and losing Gregory to free agency would leave the Cowboys without both of their incumbent starting edge rushers. The Cowboys could have used the franchise tag on Gregory — they chose to cuff tight end Dalton Schultz instead on Wednesday.

As it stands, Lawrence is set to earn $17MM in base salary this year. That’s the second-highest sum of anyone on the Cowboys, behind franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.

The Gallup deal — which seemed to be nearly finished last week — will reportedly pay the wide receiver upwards of $10MM per year. The Cowboys are aiming for a five-year pact, but it’s possible that Gallup’s camp is pushing for a shorter arrangement.

Cowboys Activate DE DeMarcus Lawrence

December 2nd, 2021 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The reinforcements keep coming for the Cowboys. They will have their Pro Bowl defensive end back Thursday night. DeMarcus Lawrence is now on Dallas’ active roster, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

Lawrence has not played since Week 1. Although Randy Gregory remains on IR, Lawrence will team with Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite Micah Parsons for the NFC East-leading squad. Lawrence’s activation comes a day after the Cowboys moved Amari Cooper off their reserve/COVID-19 list and back onto the active roster.

Lawrence suffered a broken foot in practice after the club’s Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers. He will aim to make a difference down the stretch. The eighth-year pass rusher has not topped 6.5 sacks since signing his big-ticket extension in 2019, but his presence will be a welcome one for a Cowboys squad that has kept moving Parsons around the formation due to D-end unavailability.

The two-time Pro Bowler didn’t miss a game for the Cowboys between the 2017 and 2020 seasons, averaging more than nine sacks per season. He started Dallas’s first game of the 2021 campaign, collecting five tackles while appearing in 66 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.

Cowboys Designate DeMarcus Lawrence For Return

November 24th, 2021 at 2:48pm CST by Rory Parks

The Cowboys have designated defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence for return, as Doug Kyed of The Athletic tweets. The two-time Pro Bowler is back on the practice field today, and his 21-day activation window is officially open.

Per ESPN’s Ed Werder, Dallas is targeting next Thursday’s matchup with the Saints for Lawrence’s return to game action (Twitter link). Lawrence suffered a broken foot in practice after the club’s Week 1 loss to the Bucs, and he has been on injured reserve ever since.

Lawrence, 29, has yet to replicate the double-digit sack totals that he posted across the 2017-18 seasons, but he remains a key component of Dallas’ defensive front. He is a highly-effective run-stopper, and despite the drop-off in sack numbers, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics have consistently pegged him as a top-tier edge defender. His return, and the imminent returns of fellow D-linemen Randy Gregory and Neville Gallimore, will be a massive boost to the Cowboys’ playoff push.

Dallas has lost another defender to injury, however. The team announced that it has placed safety Donovan Wilson, who is dealing with chest and shoulder ailments, on IR.

Wilson, a 2019 sixth-rounder, started 10 games for the Cowboys last season, notching 71 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three passes defensed. He suffered a groin injury in training camp this year and aggravated the injury in Week 1, which forced him to miss the next four games. He was gradually eased back into action, and he started both of Dallas’ last two contests. On the season, he has 18 tackles and a pass defensed, and he presently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ 46th-best safety out of 91 qualifiers.

Latest On Cowboys’ D-Line Injuries

November 21st, 2021 at 10:25am CST by Rory Parks

The Cowboys should be getting a major boost to their front seven within the month. Defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, both currently on IR, could be back in action in the next three to four weeks, per club VP Stephen Jones (Twitter link via Jon Machota of The Athletic). DT Neville Gallimore is on the same timeline.

Dallas responded to its surprising loss at the hands of the Broncos in Week 9 by administering a thorough dismantling of the Falcons last week, and the 7-2 outfit has the makings of a legitimate championship contender. Getting back two of their top pass rushers would, of course, go a long way towards a deep playoff run.

Lawrence played in the Cowboys’ season opener but then suffered a broken foot in practice, which has kept him on the sidelines ever since. The 29-year-old has not been producing the type of gaudy sack totals that he amassed over the 2017-18 seasons — which helped earn him a five-year, $105MM contract in March 2019 — but he is still a key piece of Dallas’ defensive front.

Gregory, after missing a great deal of time due to suspensions over his first few seasons in the league, had posted five sacks and 12 QB hits through seven games this year before suffering a calf injury in practice earlier this month. He is out of contract at season’s end, and if he continues to play well when he returns, he could be in line for a nice payday. The current expectation is that the club will explore a long-term pact with him this offseason.

Gallimore, a 2020 third-rounder, started nine games in his rookie campaign and was expected to serve as a starter again this year. A dislocated elbow has kept him on the shelf all season, but if nothing else, he could be a useful rotational piece on the interior of the D-line. Third-round rookie Osa Odighizuwa and veteran Carlos Watkins have not been especially effective as the Cowboys’ starting DT tandem in 2021.

DeMarcus Lawrence To Miss 6-8 Weeks

September 16th, 2021 at 12:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had surgery on his broken foot earlier today, according to head coach Mike McCarthy (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). The recovery will rule him out for the next 6-8 weeks, but McCarthy believes Lawrence will be back before the season is through.

The Cowboys have placed Lawrence on IR. The league’s short-term IR allows players to return after as little as three missed games, though the Cowboys won’t see Lawrence until November, at the earliest.

“Obviously, losing DeMarcus, he’s a prime-time player for us. I thought he had a nice start in Tampa,” McCarthy said. “You hate to see these injuries to any of your guys, but what it does is it gives opportunities to the other players. How we will spread that out will be done through game plan. We’ll work on that today, tomorrow and Saturday. Specifically, we’ll get into that when we play the game.”

In the near term, they’ll have to get by without Lawrence and possibly Randy Gregory after his positive COVID-19 test. Dallas was already in an iffy spot with their D-Line — they were just one of two NFL teams without a sack in Week 1. That leaves them with less appealing options, such as Dorance Armstrong and Tarell Basham, backed by reserve DEs Bradlee Anae and Chauncey Golston.

Lawrence, a two-time Pro Bowler, notched 25 sacks between 2017 and 2018. He hasn’t approached that production since, but he was still solid in 2019 and 2020, collecting 11.5 sacks and 26 QB hits in 32 games (31 starts). From his sole game this year, he’s got five tackles and one forced fumble.

Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence Suffers Broken Foot, Out Indefinitely

September 15th, 2021 at 5:39pm CST by Ben Levine

DeMarcus Lawrence is out indefinitely. The Cowboys defensive end suffered a broken foot at practice and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The news was first reported by Joe Trahan of WFAA (on Twitter).

It’s uncertain if the injury will end Lawrence’s season, reports Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus notes (on Twitter) that “there’s optimism it’s not season-ending,” while one source tells NFL Network’s Jane Slater that Lawrence will be sidelined for six to eight weeks (Twitter link). Rapoport has clarified that Lawrence broke the fifth-metatarsal in his foot and will need surgery, but if everything goes well, the pass rusher could be back by November.

This is a tough break for the Cowboys and their depleted pass rush, especially since Randy Gregory could also miss this weekend’s game after testing positive for COVID-19. Dallas was one of only two teams without a sack in Week 1, and their pass-rushing hopes will now depend on the likes of journeyman Tarell Basham.

Lawrence earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods in 2017 and 2018 after combining for 25 sacks between the two seasons. He hasn’t come close to matching that production since, but he was still productive in 2019 and 2020, collecting 11.5 sacks and 26 QB hits in 32 games (31 starts). The veteran started the offseason on PUP as he recovered from back surgery, but he still got back in time to appear in Week 1. He collected five tackles and one forced fumble in that contest.

It’s been a rough few days for the Cowboys after losing their season-opener to the Buccaneers. Lawrence fractured his foot, Gregory tested positive, right tackle La’el Collins was suspended, and receiver Michael Gallup was sidelined for at least the next month.

Cowboys Place Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence On PUP

July 22nd, 2021 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have placed wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin training camp (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Cooper is still recuperating from a lingering ankle issue while Lawrence has been hampered by back problems.

Cooper, a seventh-year veteran, was previously scratched from Cowboys minicamp. He underwent minor ankle surgery in January but the latest trouble surfaced in May. The Pro Bowl wideout has been here before — a sprain cost him time in 2017 and reemerged in early last season. To date, Cooper has not missed a game as a Cowboy. But, if his recovery drags, they’ll be leaning more on Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.

Lawrence nearly opted out last year, but ultimately went on to appear in all 16 games for the Cowboys with 6.5 sacks. Statistically, his best work came in 2017 and 2018 as he registered a combined 25 sacks. The Cowboys hope that he can quickly put his back (and shoulder) injuries behind him to resume his Pro Bowl form.

The stars will be joined on the list by kicker Greg Zuerlein (back), defensive tackle Trysten Hill (knee), newly-signed rookie defensive end Chauncey Golston (hamstring), and offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt (knee). The Cowboys will also place UDFA receiver T.J. Vasher on the non-football injury list as he works his way back from a knee injury suffered at Texas Tech.

Cowboys Add Voidable Year To DeMarcus Lawrence’s Deal

September 11th, 2020 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

DeMarcus Lawrence has agreed to extend his deal with a voidable year for salary cap purposes, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. In essence, Lawrence’s deal remains the same. But, in terms of cap flexibility, it’ll make a huge difference for Dallas.

By converting $15MM of the defensive end’s base salary into a signing bonus, the Cowboys will open up $12MM in cap space this year. Lawrence was happy to help – he’s now locked in a giant chunk of cash, protecting him in the event of any game cancelations in 2020.

The seventh-year defender gave some thought to opting out of the season, but ultimately decided to play. That was a big relief from the Cowboys, who are counting on lots of pressure from their star pass rusher. The sack production wasn’t there in 2019, the first year of his five-year, $105MM mega-deal, but he registered a combined 25 sacks between the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Now another year removed from shoulder surgery, the Cowboys have every reason to believe that Lawrence can resume his Pro Bowl form.

After restructuring Lawrence’s deal – as well as Zack Martin‘s contract – the Cowboys could be ready to spend. Despite word that the Cowboys have cooled on Earl Thomas, it’s worth noting that the star safety remains available.