DeMarcus Lawrence’s 2022 goal should concern opposing quarterbacks

It may be his ninth year in the NFL, but Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is taking 2022 as seriously as any other year. Lawrence has been a mainstay on the Cowboys’ defense for eight years now. With his newly restructured contract and his eyes on the prize, the 30-year-old has no plans of slowing down in production. In fact, he wants to improve.

Some people have underestimated Lawrence as a player because of his inability to have high sack numbers on his stat lines in recent years. Although his lower sack numbers may not be ideal, they certainly don’t hamper his production as a defender overall. But, this is a fact that the Cowboy wants to change. He’s ready for 2022 to be his best year yet. This is what he told the press at OTAs on Wednesday:

"“Restate my dominance. Let everybody know that I’m coming, how I feel, and the type of respect I’m going to demand when I step on that field. Become the sack leader again. I let a rookie show me up last year- shout-out to my boy Micah [Parsons].”"

Lawrence, unfortunately, had a broken foot hamper the majority of his 2021 season. In seven games, he was able to total 21 tackles, seven QB hits, two forced fumbles, and three sacks. His rookie teammate (Parsons), on the other hand, had 84 tackles, 30 QB hits, three forced fumbles, and 13.0 sacks in 16 games.

It’ll certainly be a challenge for Lawrence to get his sacks back near what Parsons achieved last year. The last time the 30-year-old had a 10+ sack season was in 2018. However, that doesn’t seem to be making him any less committed or determined. He has proven to be an emotional leader on this team and wants to lead his team on paper as well.

DeMarcus Lawrence is ready to “restate [his] dominance” and lead the Cowboys in sacks for 2022

To prepare to hit his goal, Lawrence is making several changes. He’s upped his offseason workout intensity and he’s also changed his appearance. Reporters saw a new look from the defender when he showed up to OTAs without the dreadlocks he’s been growing out since his rookie year in 2014. The new hairdo felt symbolic for the DE:

"“Yeah, I had my fun with my dreads. I started growing them when I entered the NFL, and they grew so fast on me, they got heavy. I turned 30 this year, so I’m like, ‘It’s time for me to make a grown-man change.’ And I chopped them off.”"

Dreads or not, Lawrence is a top defender in this league and wants to be even more dominant in his ninth year. With Randy Gregory gone and a lot of new faces on the defense, the Boise State product has to lead this team in more than statistics. However, it is worth noting that he’s done it before. For a good chunk of his Cowboys career, Lawrence was first or second on the team in sacks. From 2017 to 2020, he had 10+ sacks twice and led the entire defense three times.

Beating out the Defensive Rookie of the Year to have the most sacks on your team is no small feat, but Lawrence is doing whatever he can to get there:

"“I feel like I’m in better shape. I feel like this offseason has been one of the most serious ones for me, just all about really just being healthy and taking care of the body and doing rigorous trainings and stuff and different workouts.”"

Opposing quarterbacks shouldn’t expect Lawrence to slow down despite his age. In fact, he’s hungrier than ever.