Cowboys' Malachi Lawrence realization is Step 1 in repairing broken defense

It's Déjà vu all in Dallas. The Cowboys once again have a top-five offense that's capable of going on a run in January. And once again, they have arguably the worst defense in football that is threatening to torpedo the season.

Brian Schottenheimer has kept the details close to the vest, but he's left no doubt that personnel changes are being implemented ahead of Sunday's game against the 3-2 Packers.

One of those changes? Giving Malachi Lawrence more opportunities. The Cowboys' head coach was asked about Lawrence's play on Wednesday and gave a very revealing answer, saying the first-round pick is "absolutely" in line to get more snaps.

"He's played very well," Schottenheimer said of Lawrence. "I think he's starting to show the flash and the acceleration and the ability to rush the passer that we knew we were getting when we drafted him. I think he had a very good game against Tampa Bay, and you'll see him get more opportunities."

Finally.

Donovan Ezeiruaku and Rashan Gary should not be playing as much

The Cowboys should not be applauded for giving an ascending player more burn. That's how it should work. Fans shouldn't have to beg for underperforming vets to take a seat in favor of young players who are exceeding expectations.

Having said that, getting Lawrence on the field more is a necessary first step if Schottenheimer and Christian Parker have any prayer at remedying what is currently a broken defense.

While Lawrence has not been otherworldly, Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku simply haven't been good enough to continue playing 67 percent and 71 percent of the snaps, respectively. Lawrence, meanwhile, has logged just a 35 percent snap share.

Here's how the snaps have been distributed within Dallas' edge room, via Pro Football Focus:

It's duly noted that Gary and Ezeiruaku are the de facto leaders of the room. But for Ezeiruaku to have logged as many pass-rush snaps as Lawrence has total snaps borders on malpractice, especially given how sporadic the pass rush has been through five games.

In Ezeiruaku's defense, he probably should have 4.5 sacks. He's getting more pressure than Gary, even though Gary has a higher pass-rush win rate. He just isn't finishing. There's value in winning your individual matchup, but that's only half the battle.

Ezeiruaku was drafted to bring down the quarterback, and he's not doing that. A lot of his missed opportunities have led to scrambles or broken-play completions.

Gary, meanwhile, has been less impactful. He put together a nice game against the Texans, but he has otherwise struggled to make his presence felt as a pass rusher. And he's been flat-out bad at defending the run, often breaking contain and failing to set the edge for Dallas' second-level defenders.

Malachi Lawrence flashes deserve to be rewarded with more snaps

Lawrence was a bright spot in an otherwise humiliating night for the Cowboys last Thursday night.

The UCF product came up with two splash plays, first sacking Jalon Daniels on first-and-10 for an 11-yard loss in the third quarter with Dallas desperately needing a stop. On the very next snap, Lawrence batted a Daniels pass out of the air.

Tampa Bay somehow converted the ensuing 3rd-and-21 (thanks, DaRon Bland), but in most circumstances, Lawrence's back-to-back plays would have gotten the defense off the field. He essentially wrecked the drive all by himself. And yet, he only played 27 of a possible 72 snaps.

Let's take a look at where Lawrence stacks up among rookie edge rushers (min. 20 snaps).

Let's repeat that. Lawrence ranks first among all rookie edge rushers in three notable categories despite ranking ninth with just 57 pass-rush snaps. Did we say earlier that his usage borders on malpractice? Scratch that. It is malpractice that he's playing barely half as many snaps as Gary and Ezeiruaku.

Lawrence has done everything possible with a limited workload to force the Cowboys' hand. Increasing his snap count might seem like a small adjustment in the grand scheme of a defense that needs several of them, but it's a necessary one.

The Cowboys aren't going to repair this defense overnight. Christian Parker still has to find answers for the coverage busts, missed tackles, communication lapses, and a pass rush that has too often disappeared for quarters at a time.

But turning this thing around has to start somewhere. Playing the guys who have earned it is about as obvious a starting point as you'll find.

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