Dallas Cowboys: Is replacing DeMarcus Lawrence an option?

The Dallas Cowboys and DeMarcus Lawrence are at an impasse in contract negotiations, but is keeping the elite pass rusher worth the money?

There is no doubt that DeMarcus Lawrence is an elite defensive end and leader for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s coming off two consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks, including the monstrous production in 2017 where he totaled 14.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. But even with all that production, is he really worth $20 million+ per year?

Finding an elite pass rusher is very hard and it can take a long time to find one. In fact, the Cowboys have been looking for one since DeMarcus Ware left for the Denver Broncos.

Over the last two seasons, Lawrence has racked up 25.0 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, and 49 QB hits. In that same two-year span, those numbers put him in the same company as the Chicago Bears’ Khalil Mack (22.5 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, and 40 QB hits) and Broncos’ Von Miller (24.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss, and 49 QB hits). Now, Lawrence apparently wants to get paid as much as them too.

Paying a two-time Pro Bowl defensive end coming off his rookie contract should be a no-brainer right? Well, given Lawrence’s injury history, the amount of games missed because of them and a drug-related suspension in 2016, that makes things a little more complicated. Not to mention, he also needs surgery this offseason for a torn labrum (shoulder), which he’s seemingly holding out on getting until he signs a new contract.

In 2016, Dallas went 13-3 essentially without the services of Lawrence due to an injured back and starting the season suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. In 2017, his monster year, the Cowboys went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Last season Lawrence had 10.5 sacks and the Cowboys went 10-6. They made the playoffs but the premier pass rusher was M.I.A. in the most important game of the year.

There is a lot more that goes into winning games and having a successful season than just one player. And more to a defensive end than just sacks. But with the money D-Law is asking for, is it worth it to pay a player that has no correlation to winning games with his performance whether good or bad?

In Lawrence’s biggest season, 2017, the Cowboys as a team posted 38.0 sacks. In 2016, where Lawrence played only a handful of games and posted just a single sack, the team had 36.0. Last year? 39.0 team sacks. In 2015? 31.0 sacks.

Even outside of D-Law’s monstrous season, the Cowboys have been able to get a consistent and comparable amount of pressure on opposing quarterback with players like Tyrone Crawford, David Irving, Benson Mayowa, Maliek Collins, and Randy Gregory.

Even though a few of the named players aren’t on the roster and/or currently suspended, Dallas just signed another player that could provide a boost and save the Cowboys a lot of money, Robert Quinn. In addition to Quinn, the Cowboys also signed free agent defensive tackles Christian Covington and Kerry Hyder Jr. to bolster the defensive line and pass rush.

The 28-year old Quinn’s production has fallen off since his days of posting double-digit sacks three years in a row, and is averaging a little over 6.0 sacks per year over his last three seasons. That’s no where close to Lawrence’s numbers, but if you add in Hyder’s production from 2016, where he led the Detroit Lions with 8.0 sacks, you can get there number-wise.

There’s absolutely no question whether DeMarcus Lawrence is one of the best defensive ends in the league. But with his injury history, previous suspension and the type of money he’s likely demanding, it would probably be best to try and replace his production and salary with multiple players through free agency and draft. It’s risky to gamble on players like Robert Quinn, Kerry Hyder, and Randy Gregory. But so is making an injury riddled defensive end one of the highest paid defenders in the league.