The Dallas Cowboys managed to drastically overhaul their defense in one offseason, and while the work is hardly over, they are significantly younger and more athletic. And one of the positions that has seen the most turnover is the EDGE room, as the Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary and selected Malachi Lawrence in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Lawrence isn’t expected to be a starter right away as Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku are likely to occupy those jobs. But you can bet that Lawrence will be on the field a bunch, as he is easily the most explosive and talented pass rusher on the roster. What kind of impact can he have right away? That’s up for debate.
Now that we are more than a week removed from the draft, more people believe he could be a big factor sooner rather than later. Including one prominent NFL analyst from ESPN.
Dallas Cowboys rookie Malachi Lawrence is a Defensive Rookie of the Year sleeper
In a recent ESPN article by Ben Solak, he wrote about the favorites for the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards coming out of the draft. Surprisingly enough, Caleb Downs did not make the list, but that was explained by Solak as a safety has not taken home this award since Mark Carrier of the Chicago Bears in 1990.
However, pass rushers generally have an inside track at this award as they’ve taken home the honor in five of the last seven seasons. And Solak believes that Lawrence could be a sleeper pick for this year’s DROY award:
"It's unclear just how many snaps Lawrence will get in Dallas, as second-year player Donovan Ezeiruaku and trade acquisition Rashan Gary also sit on the depth chart. But with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, tons of snaps are up for grabs. Lawrence has elite explosive measurables and a better path to every down opportunities than late drafted pass rushers. He's the sleeper to circle."
The last five pass-rushers to win this award (Jared Verse, Will Anderson, Micah Parsons, Chase Young, Nick Bosa) averaged 8.2 sacks during their rookie seasons. That is roughly the number that Lawrence will need to get to this season if he wants to be in consideration for the award.
But the other part of this is that all five of those EDGE rushers played on good defenses in their rookie seasons. If Lawrence records eight sacks, but the Cowboys continue to struggle on defense, the odds of him winning would appear to be pretty low. The defense would need to make great strides in 2026 for Lawrence to be an option, but that seems possible with the hiring of Christian Parker and the re-worked secondary.
Lawrence is likely to be on the field on a high percentage of passing downs as he is easily the most explosive EDGE rusher on the team. And with a motor that always runs hot, it wouldn’t be a total shock to see Lawrence come close to double-digit sacks. If Dallas can keep being dynamic on offense, it should lead to more shootouts and pass-rush opportunities for the former Central Florida star.
The truth is that the Cowboys don’t need Lawrence to become a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate (although it would be nice) for this to be a successful pick. They just need him to consistently provide speed and quickness off the edge. If he can do that, he’ll be well worth the 23rd selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
But needless to say, expectations are much higher than that going into the season.
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