In what has been a wretched season for the Cowboys in terms of player health, yet another stalwart veteran player has not only gone down, but may have ended his Dallas career on the injured reserve. We’re seen that specter raised with longtime lineman Zack Martin, and the possibility has been raised again with cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Now, it’s DeMarcus Lawrence, the bookend pass rusher to Micah Parsons.
Lawrence has not played since facing the Giants on “Monday Night Football” in Week 4, but he had been trying to rehab the Lisfranc foot injury he suffered that week to make it back before the end of the season. But the foot has not responded as hoped.
As former scout Brian Broaddus reported on Dallas radio, via SI.com: ““They tried their best to get him back. There was a couple times where I was passing by the field, watching him, and I felt like (he was working hard with Cowboys trainer Britt Brown). … But they just couldn’t get that (foot) where it needed to be, and it wasn’t worth the risk for them going forward.”
DeMarcus Lawrence Hitting Free Agency
That’s difficult, of course. But equally difficult is considering what might be next for Lawrence as the Cowboys remake their roster for 2025. Lawrence has starred at defensive end for the Cowboys for 11 seasons, and has four Pro Bowl selections to his credit. He has made 61.5 sacks in 141 games played.
Lawrence will be a free agent, coming off the final year of a three-year, $40 million contract he signed in 2022. He was excellent in 2023, posting a Pro Football Focus grade of 91, No. 8 in the NFL among all pass-rushers. But he will be 33 in April and the Cowboys have been looking to get younger across the board.
As the Cowboys analysis site Inside the Star wondered: “This issue here is that Lawrence is in the final year of his contract, and there are already looming questions for next season. Could that Monday night game in New York be his last game in a Cowboys uniform?”
Cowboys Could Be Priced Out of Free-Agent Market
There is a chance, of course, that the Cowboys bring back Lawrence, especially if he does not warrant a major contract in the free-agent market. The Cowboys have committed $240 million to quarterback Dak Prescott over four years, and $136 million to CeeDee Lamb over four years. They’ll be committing something in the range of $140 million over four years for Parsons next offseason, as he is due an extension.
The Cowboys will be committing almost half their 2025 cap space to three players, out of the 53 that will be on the active roster, not to mention dead cap hits and the practice squad. There will need to be savings, and if Lawrence does not take a discount to stay, he very well could have played his last down for the Cowboys.
Back in November, ESPN reported that a “strong open market” could emerge for Lawrence in free agency. That was before the injury lingered all season, but if it holds true, it could price Lawrence out of the Cowboys’ range.
Wrote insider Jeremy Fowler: “Dallas could commit to paying a different pass rusher — Micah Parsons — before anyone else at The Star. That inherently creates challenges to re-signing Lawrence, who should have a strong open market, though Dallas would of course leave the door open for discussions. Dallas has $8.7 million in 2025 void money from previously restructuring Lawrence’s existing deal.”
