The Dallas Cowboys can’t afford to lose DeMarcus Lawrence

The Dallas Cowboys are in a contract tussle with edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence. They can’t afford to lose him, and for more reasons than one.

When it comes to success in the NFL, most will tell you that it starts with having a quarterback, a left tackle that can protect said quarterback, and a pass rusher that can get to the opposing team’s quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys have been fortunate enough to see all three of the fundamental building blocks somewhat fall in place.

Dak Prescott has grown into a winning quarterback capable of making the necessary plays in big moments, and although his passing acumen could still improve, he has overcome that thus far. Although left tackle Tyron Smith hasn’t exactly been his best self over the past couple of seasons, he is still more than capable of being that anchor who protects Prescott’s blind side. When it comes to pass rushers, DeMarcus Lawrence has not only become one of the best players on the Cowboys defense but in the entire league.

So why are the Cowboys playing hard to get when it comes to locking Lawrence up to a long-term deal? That is a great question. But as mentioned, you can’t be a championship caliber team without a premier pass rusher. This is one of quite a few reasons why the Cowboys can’t afford to screw up in this scenario.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said that you need a war daddy if you want to be one of those teams, and they have one. How could you preach and politic about needing one of those types of players, and righteously let one walk away from your team?

Dallas has finally gotten to a place where Jones as the general manager isn’t the butt of every joke. They have actually even been praised for some of the transactions they’ve made lately, like taking linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in the first round of last year’s draft. To let Lawrence walk over a one or two million dollars annually would surely revive some of those punch lines.

Speaking of what others are saying about the Cowboys, some would say the defense was the strength of the team last season, with elite performers on all three levels. If Lawrence were to somehow get away from Dallas, not only would they lose the most valuable guy at an already thin position, but they would severely cripple what is considered to be one of the strengths of the team.

Lastly, and most importantly, what type of message would this send to the locker room? With the contracts of Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, and wide receiver Amari Cooper looming, what type of message would this send to them and their representation?

You cannot afford to begin to sever lines of trust in negotiations you haven’t even started yet, especially when considering the importance of the four players in question if you include Lawrence. More importantly, you cannot afford to sever the lines of trust among your team. A lack of perceived loyalty could surely serve to deteriorate any forms of trust that have been established thus far.

The Dallas Cowboys have many reasons that they can’t afford to mess this thing up, with their ability to win football games being about as important as they get. To let DeMarcus Lawrence walk over money would be the ultimate failure for the richest sports franchise in the world. Although there are quite a few as mentioned, these are just a couple of the more critical reasons why the Cowboys must get this one right.