Dallas Cowboys: Three biggest positives from the 2017 season
By Tyrone Starr
Can DeMarcus Lawrence be the next great Dallas defensive end?
Coming into this year, 2017 was a make or break year for DeMarcus Lawrence. In 2014 and 2016, Lawrence put up just one sack. Total. Both seasons saw Lawrence miss multiple games. In his 2015 season, Lawrence played in all sixteen games and posted eight sacks.
Since health and production go hand in hand when it comes to #90, the Cowboys had to hope that Lawrence would be healthy for 2017.
He was and, consequently, became a huge problem for opposing offenses. Lawrence started the season with at least one sack in seven straight games. He single-handedly destroyed the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3.
Lawrence finished 2017 with four multi-sack games and a total of 14.5. Heading into 2018, he can become a free agent which could be a problem for Jerry Jones’ pocketbook.
Lawrence is not going anywhere. This year, the franchise tag for defensive ends was $16.9M. That figure will probably go up next year. Regardless of whether it is just one season or a long-term deal, Lawrence figures prominently in the Cowboys future.
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Twenty-six year old pass rushers coming of a 14 sack season don’t hit the free market. Hopefully for Dallas, his future health and production mirror the biggest positive this team saw in 2017.