The Dallas Cowboys drafted DeMarcus Lawrence in 2014 in the second round of the NFL Draft. This happened after the Cowboys shocked the football world and decided to release DeMarcus Ware to help with their salary cap. Lawrence was bought in to help improve the Cowboys defensive line. It took him a while to find himself within that defense. 2017 ended up being his breakout season in Dallas with 14.5 sacks which tied for second in the league that year. He was also named to his first Pro Bowl for his standout season. Two years later in 2019, he signed a five-year deal with the team worth $105 million. Today, the news came out that DeMarcus had broken his foot during practice. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with this injury.
DeMarcus is the Cowboys best defensive player, hands down. It will start with him and end with him, always. He’s also one of the best defensive ends in the league who I feel still doesn’t get enough respect which is saying something considering who he plays for. Being a former defensive end myself and having watched so many defensive ends over the years, most of them have a go-to move whether it’s a swim move, a pure bullrush where his hand is placed on the numbers of the offensive lineman, or they dip and go underneath. Watching DeMarcus, he doesn’t have a go-to move if we’re being serious here. He just knows how to win his battles and does it effortlessly. DeMarcus has multiple ways to attack you. He can use the spin move; he’ll plant his foot down as if he’s going one way and go the completely opposite way and he’ll use the swim move. Violent hands are key to be a successful defensive end and he possesses those without question. He’s a confident defender who feels he can get anywhere he wants at any time. The wild thing is, he does. DeMarcus has speed, power, and strength to bully anyone in his path.
This is a tough loss for a Dallas defense who’s looking to improve after such a down season in 2020 when they were arguably one of the three worst defenses in the league. It’s tough to replace a guy of his caliber because he does so many things for this Cowboys defense. Pass rushing doesn’t always mean sack the quarterback. It also means applying pressure and forcing opposing quarterbacks to adjust and neutralize that player. Only time will tell to see where the Cowboys go from here. I’m wishing him a speedy recovery.
