DeMarcus Lawrence: Is he worth two 1st round picks?
The Dallas Cowboys are expected to place the franchise tag on defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, but should they consider two first-round picks as well?
As the month of February gets long in the tooth, the Dallas Cowboys have the opportunity to start making moves. The biggest one at this time is what exactly to do with defensive end, DeMarcus Lawrence.
Word is traveling fast that Dallas fully intends to use the franchise tag on DeMarcus Lawrence, who tied for second in the NFL with 14.5 sacks in 2017. This might have been the biggest positive to come about from a season that was otherwise a disappointment in most respects.
The idea here is that the Cowboys can retain the services of their four-year veteran by guaranteeing him a set salary, which is already predetermined. This sum is anything but peanut shells and it means that Lawrence is about to be a very rich man, especially given what he’s actually done over these last four years in the NFL.
While the idea is to get a long-term deal done with Lawrence before the 2018 regular season begins, I’m wondering if there’s another direction with which to travel that might pay even bigger dividends for a Dallas franchise that is somewhat void of big time playmakers on defense. In this case, would the Cowboys consider receiving two first round picks if another team was willing to sign the former Boise State Broncos star to a long-terms contract this offseason?
The Cowboys can take either the ‘exclusive’ route with Lawrence or the ‘non-exclusive’ route, the latter leaving the possibility of receiving a couple of first round picks should the Cowboys fail to match a competing offer from some other team.
K.D. Drummond of USAToday.com offers a quick explanation of Dallas’ options.
"Dallas will place one of two variations of the franchise tag on Lawrence, the exclusive or non-exclusive variety. The exclusive tag means ‘hands off’ to the rest of the league. It costs Dallas a little more, but they will control Lawrence’s rights for another year.The non-exclusive tag essentially means a competing club will not only have to give him a mammoth contract to pay him as one of the league’s best at one of the league’s most expensive positions, but they’ll also have to compensate the Cowboys generously for taking their player. The cost? Two first-round picks."
If I’m Jerry Jones and I’m serious about retaining David Irving long-term, I’m absolutely interested in finding out what the market value for DeMarcus Lawrence really is. The idea that the Cowboys might be able to grab a couple of first-round picks in exchange for losing Lawrence is way too good to pass up.
Remember that Lawrence has already been suspended once by the NFL for a substance abuse violation. The four games missed in 2016 were not something that should be forgotten and let’s also keep in mind that this recent pass-rushing force has also had some back issues – this is something to pay close attention to. The Dallas Cowboys front office knows more about this than we do and I’ll bet it’s been a discussion on plenty of occasions.
Now, I’m not knocking the contributions made by DeMarcus Lawrence. I know exactly what he’s done over his time with the Cowboys and I also know what kind of liability he could be. The fact that the Cowboys are only interested in a one-year bloated salary for Lawrence at this time is telling as far as I’m concerned.
Regardless of what you think Lawrence will be over the next five or six seasons, it’s hard to imagine that keeping him would be better than having four first round picks in the next two player selection meetings.
Or what about Maurice Hurst and James Washington.
What if it meant the possibility of Derwin James and Tremaine Edmunds?
There’s limitless opportunity if the Dallas Cowboys found a way to broker this kind of deal. Then again, there’s also the chance that no other team will take the kind of risk necessary to send DeMarcus Lawrence packing to another NFL city.
Let’s also remember that Dallas spent a first-round selection on Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton a year ago and most of what I’ve seen from him comes from the same side Lawrence rushes from. What if Lawrence is already replaced, if you take my meaning? Charlton is a first-round pick and I find it hard to believe that he’ll remain a backup for long.
I also don’t think that the Cowboys will move him to the right side of the defense, although he did have a sack during the preseason from that same location that Dallas needs to fill – remember there’s no Damontre Moore and who knows how long Benson Mayowa will be around. Remaining players on the current roster don’t exactly look like future Pro Bowl pass rushers waiting to happen.
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There’s still time for the Dallas Cowboys to decide exactly how they want to handle the DeMarcus Lawrence dilemma, but there’s no reason I can see to put all of their eggs into that basket without exploring any and all means of pushing America’s Team back into Super Bowl contention.