What's the age-old saying? If you do it twice in a row, it's a tradition? Well stop me if you've heard this before, Cowboys Defensive End DeMarcus Lawrence is going to undergo back surgery this offseason.
https://twitter.com/drewdavison/status/824027542290124801
It is worth mentioning that this bit of news was also accompanied by another in that Defensive Tackle Cedric Thornton has already undergone shoulder surgery, but our concern isn't with the first free agent of last offseason to sign… it's with our former 2nd Rounder that's supposed to be the best pass rusher on the team.
Tank – as DeMarcus is affectionately referred to if by those who aren't already calling him D-Law – is making these offseason back surgeries a bit of a habit. I'm not a doctor or anything, but I can't imagine that back-to-back (No Pun Intended) offseason back surgeries is good for any athlete, let alone one who spends his time hunched over while trying to pursue a quarterback very quickly.
Lawrence is coming off of his third season with the blue-and-silver, and he's hardly lived up to the hype revolving around him that began when the Cowboys traded up in the 2nd Round of the 2014 NFL Draft to take DeMarcus at #34 overall, just a short while after watching another DeMarcus leave via free agency. This isn't what you want going on around a player that's about to enter a contract year.
I've written before here at Inside The Star about the Dallas Cowboys galactic misses in the 2nd Round over the better half of the last decade, and you have to start to wonder if Tank really is part of that unfortunate club. Lawrence has just completed his third season and has played in 35 of 51 possible games, 69%, and accumulated 11 total sacks.
There's no denying the shortage of pass rushers at the edge of the Dallas Cowboys defensive front line, and considering that DeMarcus Lawrence can't totally be counted on in general coupled with another offseason back surgery… Dallas may not be bringing #90 back in 2018 and that would add an even larger sense of pressure to establish a strong sense of help this offseason.
Here's hoping Tank Lawrence heals up and this is all overreacting; however, playing in 69% of games in three seasons with back surgeries in two straight offseasons certainly seems like a little cause for worry.
