Cowboys Nation is almost in disbelief at the moves the Dallas Cowboys have made concerning the roster in the past couple of weeks. Could they actually be changing the way they operate? Is the pressure of 28 years of failure getting to them?
Perhaps they showed us a bit of this behavior last offseason when we were equally surprised at the fact they traded away valuable draft picks in exchange for WR Brandin Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore.
However, they reverted into their shells this offseason, and it has been one of the least active in recent memory until the flurry of transactions since last week.
First, they got involved in the trade market to acquire CB Andrew Booth from Minnesota and DT Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants.
Now, word was released early Thursday morning that the Cowboys had reached a deal with free agent DE Carl Lawson to help stop the bleeding of the loss of Sam Williams to a torn ACL.
Lawson played his college career with the Auburn Tigers, so he knows a little about competition after having played in the SEC. He has played for just two teams in his seven year career.
Let’s take a look at how he has fared thus far in his NFL career, and how he can contribute to the 2024 version of this Cowboys team.
Earning His Stripes
Carl Lawson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 4th round (117th overall). This is also the infamous Taco Charlton draft for Cowboys fans. Eventually a bust, Dallas chose Charlton 89 spots ahead of where the Bengals chose Lawson.
It was a poor evaluation of talent on the Cowboys’ part, but they weren’t the only team to make that mistake. Lawson was taken after other defensive ends like Derek Barnett (Philadelphia), Tano Kpassagnon (Kansas City), and Tarell Basham (Indianapolis).
Lawson made an immediate impact as a rookie. Despite only starting one game, he was able to rack up 8.5 sacks, just 0.5 sacks behind DT Geno Atkins for the team lead, and first among all NFL rookies.
His second season was marred by injury. The first major injury of his career, Lawson tore the ACL in his right knee after appearing in just seven games.
That injury bled into the 2019 season, causing Lawson to miss the first four games. Playing limited snaps and starting just two games, he was still able to contribute 5.0 sacks.
The 2020 season was an important one for Lawson because it was the final year of his rookie contract, and the Bengals were anxiously waiting to see if he could produce enough to warrant an extension.
They ultimately decided that 5.5 sacks and 36 quarterback hits was not enough, and Lawson hit the free agent market.
Leaving On a Jet Plane
The winner of the Carl Lawson sweepstakes for the 2021 season was none other than the New York Jets, who signed him to a 3yr/$45 million contract.
Unfortunately, during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers at training camp, Lawson went down onto the field in pain. Further evaluation would reveal a ruptured Achilles tendon, ending his season before it even began.
Now the victim of both a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles tendon, hope for Lawson to return to his previous form was difficult to come by. To everyone’s surprise, he started all 17 games for the first time in his career, racking up 7.0 sacks and 24 quarterback hits.
After dealing with back tightness to start the 2023 season, Lawson ended up playing in only six games. It appeared that he just could not crack the defensive line rotation, and it eventually spelled the end of his Jets tenure.
Will the Stars Align?
It’s difficult to label Carl Lawson as an elite pass rusher when he has never posted more than 8.5 sacks in a single season. Yet, we all know expectations get inflated when a player wears The Star on their helmet.
Lawson would have been a valuable depth piece in the pass rush rotation, but now he is expected to be one of the main sources of quarterback pressure after Sam Williams was lost for the season.
The expectations are unfair, but it comes with the territory. At best, Lawson becomes a valuable piece on the edge who can at least equal the impact lost with the departure of Dante Fowler Jr.
At worst, the Cowboys took a chance on an oft-injured player to satisfy a fanbase that was clamoring for a big move to be made.