Tag: Demarcus Lawence

More 3-4 looks may cover Cowboys’ temporary personnel problem

The Cowboys can’t replace Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence but maybe they don’t have to

The Cowboys essentially saved their season with their Week 4 win over the Giants, but the cost of victory was significant, losing both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence in the process. Parsons, out 2-4 weeks with a high ankle sprain, and Lawrence, out 4-8 weeks with a Lisfranc injury, are by most accounts irreplaceable.

Parsons and Lawrence aren’t just Dallas’ top pressure players and key run defenders, but they are leaders on the field and the heart and soul of the defense. The falloff behind them appears to be immense with the rookie Marshawn Kneeland and longtime reserve Chauncey Golston slated to replace them in the starting lineup. In his fourth season, Golston has less than five career sacks to his name. Kneeland, sackless in the NFL, never logged more than 4.5 sacks in a single season in college. Based on their individual track records, it’s unlikely either player can replace half the production of the men they’re replacing.

It might be best if defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer flips the script.

Instead of inadequately filling the need at defensive end with role players, Zimmer may be better served to mix up front seven entirely. Given the strengths and weaknesses of the roster, the Cowboys could find it easier to employ a more traditional odd man front that leans on the defensive tackles rather than the defensive ends.

Contrary to popular belief many 3-4 and 4-3 fronts are extremely similar. Just because these are changes in personnel groupings doesn’t mean they change the system being played. The Cowboys already bounce between odd and even fronts frequently, using under, over and BEAR looks, including a 3-3-5. It wouldn’t be a fundamental change for Zimmer’s defense per say, just an effort to avoid plugging a round hole with a square peg.

Under this proposal the pressure players would come largely from the linebacker ranks. Dallas’ most explosive player, DeMarvion Overshown, could man an outside LB spot and serve as the chief pass rusher. The other outside LB spot could be filled by someone like Carl Lawson who has played that very role in both the NFL and back at Auburn.

Mazi Smith and Linval Joseph would rotate as the nose tackle and Osa Odighizuwa looks perfectly capable of being a playmaking defensive end. The other DE spot could be handled by a number of players including Kneeland and Golston. As 3-4 DEs they wouldn’t need to be the explosive players Parsons and Lawrence were because the playmaking roles would be on the edge LBs.

For the first time in a while the strength of the roster appears to be the LB position, so it only makes sense for the Cowboys to lean on it. And given Dallas’ issues defending the run this season, mixing things up could be just what this defense needs.

Moving to more three-man fronts sounds like a bigger change than it really is. It allows the Cowboys to lean on the strength of their roster and with any luck survive the losses of the team’s best playmakers.

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How rookie Marshawn Kneeland can tie the Cowboys’ defensive line together

Rookie Marshawn Kneeland could tie the Cowboys’ defensive line together — he’s already got a lot of the skills Mike Zimmer prefers.

The Dallas Cowboys have perhaps the NFL’s most incendiary pass-rusher in Micah Parsons. That much, we know. What we don’t know at this point is what the rest of that Dallas pass rush will look like in 2024 and beyond, and that uncertainty has multiple sources.

First, there’s the switch in defensive coordinators from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer. Zimmer is a familiar face to longtime Cowboys fans of course; he was the team’s DC from 2000 through 2006, and his return to the team is an interesting wrinkle.

Then, there’s the talent around Parsons. Last season, Parsons led the team with 16 sacks and 106 total pressures. Behind that, there are veterans who still have some juice, like Demarcus Lawrence and his four sacks and 48 total pressures in 2023, and newer ascending players like Osa Odighizuwa and his three sacks and 44 total pressures in 2023.

Then, there’s Western Michigan rookie Marshawn Kneeland, one of the most disruptive defenders in this draft class. Dallas took Kneeland with the 56th overall pick in the second round after Kneeland totaled six sacks and 37 pressures in just 288 pass-rushing snaps for the Broncos in 2023. After a Senior Bowl week in which he proved to be just as dominant, Kneeland saw his profile moving up to match his tape.

“The number one thing about him is the high effort and motor that he plays with,” Cowboys Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay said of Kneeland. “Then to be talented, physically talented enough to play at this level. We noticed him early on. [Brett] Maxie is the area scout who brought him to our attention early, and the more you watch him, the more you see NFL traits and the traits that we are looking for on the defensive side; playing hard all the time and having the ability to rush the passer outside and inside. We’ve talked about it before, as hard as DLaw [DeMarcus Lawrence] played at Boise State, there are some similarities there. That is what we thought about him.”

So, how will Kneeland fit into Zimmer’s defense, as different as it will be? Quinn was a big believer in heavy stunts and a lot of big nickel (three-safety) defenses, while Zimmer, at least through his last stop as the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach through 2021, was more about a 4-2-5 nickel base defense, some interesting looks in three-linebacker sets, and not quite as much stunting and gaming at the line of scrimmage.

One way Zimmer uses his linebackers is to mug them up on either side of the center, and blitz through the middle. That was the case throughout his career, and with Parsons and now Kneeland on his defense, Zimmer could really muck opposing passing games up something fierce.

Zimmer also has a knack for using gap-versatile players to their best advantages. Back with the Vikings, he had pass-rusher D.J. Wonnum, selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of South Carolina. Like Kneeland, Wonnum is a hybrid-built player (6-foot-5, 258 pounds) who could win from more than one alignment, and had all kinds of ways of getting it done. In 2021, Zimmer’s last season, Wonnum had a career-high 42 total pressures, and when you look at the two players and their primary attributes, it’s easy to make the connection, giving us some idea of how Kneeland might be deployed.

It’s entirely possible that Zimmer learned and will employ new concepts in his return to the NFL — it’s common for coaches to do that after sabbaticals, whether voluntary or not. But it’s nice for the coach to have a new guy who fits the concepts he’s already known for so well.

7 Cowboys whose contracts must be reworked, restructured, or extended in 2024

The Cowboys’ best players all have contracts which need addressing, as do some other veterans for various reasons. Includes a projection of CeeDee Lamb’s new deal. | From @KDDrummondNFL

With the end of the regular season occurring over the next 72 hours, 18 teams are going to be closing up shop for the year. Technically contracts across the league don’t expire until the start of the new year, but for all intents and purposes, the season is over when it comes to the bulk of the majority of player contracts. There are several players who have playoff incentives tied to their base salaries, but those base salaries are paid across the 18 weeks of the regular season. A playoff share is spread across rosters based on how far each team goes.

For the Dallas Cowboys, this technically means that it’s time to start examining the contract situation they will face in 2024. We’ve already covered the teams long list of impact free agents. This happens annually with Dallas as they are a team that has done an excellent job of acquiring talent through the draft. Now, let’s look at the players who are currently under contract for 2024, but where their current salary isn’t ideal.

This is a two-way street. Some players are well deserving of an extension while others either have too big of a cap hit or make too little of an impact to be paid they way they are supposed to be. Check out the seven players who will need to have some things adjusted before the free agency frenzy of early March.

  • Prescott
  • Gallup
  • Lamb
  • Zack
  • Diggs
  • Tank
  • Micah

The four best defensive lines in the NFL could reside in the NFC East, but how do they rank amongst themselves

From @cdpiglet: If the NFC East has the best four defensive lines in the league, how do they rank 1-4?

The NFC East is the home of possibly the best four defensive lines in the NFL. The Washington Commanders have elite defensive tackles. The Philadelphia Eagles have incredible depth and young potential. The Dallas Cowboys have maybe the best young defender in the league plus depth, and the Giants have a complete four-man defensive line unit.

This group of guys is unmatched by any position group, in any division in the league. No matter how these teams are lined up, some fanbases are going to feel disrespected. They shouldn’t, though. These are possibly the top four defensive lines, so even the team ranked last in the division is still likely the fourth-best in all the NFL. The defensive lines are the biggest weapons on each of these teams, and largest reason for their success except possibly the Eagles offensive line. Here are the defensive line rankings for the NFC East.

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Lawrence notches 3 sacks to pace Cowboys defense, take Player of Game honors

The Cowboys hadn’t seen much pass rush from DeMarcus Lawrence before Monday night. He made up for it quickly and repeatedly. | From @TimLettiero

Week 3 is now in the books and for the third week in a row the Dallas defense showed out, proving why they are one of the most dominant units in the league. The New York Giants, off to a hot 2-0 start to their season, hosted the Cowboys on Monday night. New York had been carried on the back of the new and improved coaching staff as well as the return of RB Saquon Barkley, both of which have proved to be tough to slow down. Dan Quinn’s defense found a way.

LB Micah Parsons has been the star of the show thus far this season but veteran DE Demarcus Lawrence took the reins from the young star tonight, leading the charge for a defense that collected five sacks on the evening to increase their league-leading total to 13. Lawrence had three of them, his first three of the season.

Four plays into the Giants first offensive drive, Lawrence beats rookie RT Evan Neal and brings QB Daniels Jones down for the sack. He followed this up with another sack with just over a minute left in the second quarter and quickly followed this up with his third sack of the night 40 seconds into the third quarter.

Shortly after he injured his foot and headed for the medical tent. He wasn’t there long however as he grabbed his helmet and joined his teammates on the sideline. Lawrence would not see the field much after that until playing the entire last drive as New York tried to march down the field which ultimately ended in a Trevon Diggs interception to ice the game.

The Cowboys saw a fair few performances that helped propel them to a hard-fought win. However, without Lawrence and potentially the best game of his career, this game turns out differently. Just imagine what he would’ve done to New York if he played the whole game…

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Cowboys’ Lawrence, Gregory questionable vs Vikings, Looney to start

Maybe the Cowboys two best edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are questionable for Sunday. Looney gets starting nod at center.

The Dallas Cowboys will be desperately seeking a victory Sunday when they travel to the Twin Cities to take on the red-hot Minnesota Vikings who’ve posted three consecutive victories. Currently, on a four-game losing streak, the Cowboys are still in a position to win the NFC East, which doesn’t have a team with more than three wins.

As final preparations conclude for this battle on the road, the Cowboys have a few players on their defensive line whose availability was up in the air as DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory have been designated as questionable.

Lawrence has found his groove lately and is reminding everyone that he’s still one of the league’s best edge rushers. Over the last five games, he’s registered 23 tackles (six tackles for loss in the last three games), 10 pressures, six hurries, three sacks, four quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles. This all coming after not recording a single sack or hit on the quarterback in the first four games.

Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t seem concerned about his best pass-rusher missing Sunday’s game, saying that everything points to him playing despite battling an illness.

Gregory has been back in action for three games now. After being blanked from the stat sheet in his return against the Washington Football Team, and only logging six snaps, he’s seen his snap count go to 31 and 40 in the last two games, posting seven tackles.

He, much like Lawrence, will be needed as the Cowboys look to build on their best performance of the season as a rush defense only allowing 46 yards to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, they’ll try to contain league-leading rusher Dalvin Cook who has rushed for an unreal 465 yards and five rushing touchdowns in the last three games.

The Dallas defensive line should have an easier time of it as Minnesota starting guard, rookie Ezra Cleveland, has been ruled out. Questionable for the Vikings are TE Irv Smith, Jr. and CB Cam Dantzler.

The Cowboys will be without center Tyler Biadasz who is still battling a hamstring injury suffered in pregame warmups in Week 9 against the Steelers. Luckily, the Cowboys have insurance at the position as veteran Joe Looney will make his second consecutive start after returning from an MCL Sprain suffered in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns

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Cowboys News: Preseason cancelled, Lawrence awesome, Dak’s MVP chances

The Cowboys top pas rusher DeMarcus Lawrence is getting a lot of preseason praise. Fourth-round cornerback Reggie Robinson agrees to terms.

Despite only have five sacks in 2019, Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is still getting a lot of preseason recognition as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Fourth-round cornerback Reggie Robinson became the third Cowboys rookie to agree to contract terms, but he still has to put ink to paper after he passes the new league in-person intake process.

With Byron Jones now in Miami, the position battle at cornerback has become one of the more intriguing competitions as training camp approaches. The Cowboys have a plethora of newcomers who are expected to contribute early, but who will have the most impact? Cowboys MVP candidates, the player profiles of Leighton Vander Esch, Luke Gifford, and Mitch Hyatt and more are covered in the news and notes.

NFLPA tells players there’ll be no preseason, training camp rosters reduced to 80 players :: CBS Sports

The NFLPA confirmed to the players on a phone call Tuesday evening that there will be no preseason games and roster for training camp will be set at 80.

Vander Esch went from maligned to All-Pro to maligned again :: Cowboys Wire

Leighton Vander Esch was received with mixed emotions by the Cowboys fan base in 2018, only to become an All-Pro as a rookie. Now, he looks to recover from his neck issue that plagued his 2019 campaign and return to dominance.

Mitch Hyatt will need to play to his strengths, experience to earn role with Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire

After not seeing any game action in his rookie season, Mitch Hyatt looks to earn his spot on the Cowboys roster through his experience playing high-level collegiate ball at Clemson.

In year 2 of 3-year plan, LB Luke Gifford will gain value for Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire

Luke Gifford made a splash during the preseason in 2019, only to have his season ended with a broken left arm. Now, he looks to show his value and which will provide more strength to an already deep LB room.

Several Cowboys show up as prospective MVP candidates, with Dak Prescott tabbed as the likeliest :: Blogging The Boys

Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott lead the way as potential MVP candidates on the Cowboys for 2020.

Dallas Cowboys: The most impactful newcomer in 2020 :: The Landry Hat

Form Aldon Smith to Trevon Diggs who will be the Cowboy’s most impactful newcomer?

NFL likely to allow helmet decals honoring victims of police brutality :: Cowboys Wire

In another attempt to listen to the demands of the players the NFL is likely to allow helmet decals honoring victims of police brutality and systematic racism.

Reggie Robinson II becomes third Cowboys rookie to agree to terms :: Cowboys Wire

Fourth-round cornerback Reggie Robinson II agrees to terms on his rookie deal, but he still has yet to take his physical or Covid-19 test, so he hasn’t officially signed yet.

DeMarcus Lawrence is another Cowboy getting preseason recognition :: Blogging The Boys

I’m addition to Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper the Cowboys top pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence is getting preseason praise as well.

NFL training camp 2020: Most important position battles for each NFC East team, including Cowboys DBs :: CBS Sports

Patrik Walker of CBS Sports breaks down how with Byron Jones no longer on the roster the battles at cornerback in training camp are crucial.

Ranking the 7 draft picks and 15 UDFAs

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DeMarcus Lawrence talks possible Dez Bryant return, autograph snubs & more

Dallas Cowboys defensive end sits down with Bleacher Report Gridiron and participates in a “Q & A” with fans.

The Dallas Cowboys have always had their cast of outlandish and outspoken characters over the course of their 60-year history. From legends and Hall of Famers like quarterback Roger Staubach, running backs Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith, cornerback Deion Sanders and wide receiver Michael Irvin. The Cowboys have never had a shortage of players who wanted the spotlight, attention, and overall demanding of respect from the fans and media.

It’s now 2020 and the Cowboys have two-time Pro Bowl defensive end, DeMarcus Lawrence. With the Cowboys finishing 8-8 and largely underachieving, he has not stopped answering all of the questions he’s been asked. In an interview with Bleacher Report Gridiron, Lawrence welcomed a Q & A with fans in which none of them held back when it came to the choice of topics.

The gloves came off early from the fans. A New York Giants fan in particular asked about the situation that occurred outside of AT&T Stadium involving a young Giants fan asking for his autograph. “The reason why I did the fella like that … first off I really didn’t see him,  but saw he had the wrong jersey on. It really wasn’t any harm to him. I just treated the kid like I treat anyone else. I was walking pretty fast! No autographs for anyone that day,” Lawrence answered as he tried to finally clear the air.

Another question regarding something that has been heavily debated recently was the question of, who should be labeled as the real “Hot Boyz”? It has become a Twitter war between members of the Dallas Cowboys defense and the NFC Champion, San Francisco 49ers defense.

One would assume all in good fun but it seemed like Lawrence was very passionate about this brand.  Lawrence recently has went on record to call the 49ers frauds. He went on to explain a little more as to why he felt this way.

“Cause they don’t have no identity behind it. Reason we came up with Hotboyz was because of brotherhood. People can recognize us as the Hot Boyz from what we do on the field and off the field but swag like that, it’s gonna be cocky so I’m not surprised.”

Something Lawrence did not shy away from was his thoughts on a possible return to Dallas for free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Bryant has surfaced back in Cowboys-related news in recent weeks when he made clear that he wants to be given a chance to rejoin the team in 2020. Or, according to the tweet a few weeks back, the Cowboys, Saints or Ravens.

When Lawrence was asked about a possible reunion between Bryant and the Cowboys, he made it quite clear that it would be welcomed. “If 88, the X factor, wants a shot we gotta give him a shot. Cowboys are home to Dez and he’s always accepted in my book.” In a follow up question of who he would like the Cowboys to add to the teams roster next season, once again, Lawrence sided with Bryant, “I’d say bring Dez Bryant back. 88 is always welcome here.”

He then decided to have some fun with a another Giants fan when he was asked about New York’s future. “Well, my guy, only thing I can say is as long as my career prolongs I don’t think it’s looking good for the Giants.”

One fan put Lawrence on the spot when he was asked who the best quarterback in the NFL was, past and present. Without hesitation, “Present day: Dak Prescott, Past: Dak Prescott.” That has to warm the heart of Prescott as he himself awaits his new long term deal with the team.

Lawrence has always been good for this team. Not just from a statistical standpoint but as an individual who has verbally and physically battled for all of his teammates. In any win or loss, Lawrence has never been short for words or comments. Even in his shorter phrases, or one word answers, they have always left an impact with the media and his colleges. Last year, as Cowboys fans know, Lawrence signed a five-year, $105 million dollar contract. This should give current Dallas players and potential 2020 new additions some comfort that they have a guy like him in the locker room.

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