Cowboys follow Giants trade by signing pass-rusher fans have been begging for

With just two weeks left in preseason, the Dallas Cowboys have been cutting it close to bolster their defensive line before Week 1. Ever comfortable working on a deadline though, the front office has done brilliant work to give Mike Zimmer the necessary talent and depth to flourish this season.

Late Wednesday night, the Cowboys acquired veteran nose tackle Jordan Phillips from the Giants in a rare inner-division trade.

Phillips brings a needed bully attitude to Dallas as well as a handsome resume. In 62 career starts, the former second-round pick has 24 sacks, 36 tackles for loss and 51 quarterback hits. While Phillips was signed to play the one-tech behind starter Mazi Smith, he also has some pass-rush upside.

With nose tackle out of the way, the Cowboys quickly pivoted to round out their defensive end rotation by signing fan darling Carl Lawson early Thursday, per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero. Lawson had the perfect reaction on social media once the news broke.

Cowboys sign DE Carl Lawson hours after trading for DT Jordan Phillips

In less than 24 hours, the Cowboys have transformed their defensive line. And they did it with moves that fans have been clamoring for. Surely, extensions for CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott are right around the corner, right?

In all seriousness, Phillips and Lawson are great additions for Zimmer.

The Cowboys' defensive end depth was in dire straits after third-year pro Sam Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice. Dallas quickly signed Shaka Toney and Al-Quadin Muhammad, but Toney suffered a groin injury and was waived on Wednesday.

On paper, Lawson is a terrific complement to standout rookie Marshawn Kneeland, who's stout against the run but is still developing as a pass-rusher. Lawson's calling card is getting after the quarterback. In 31 career starts (72 games overall), Lawson has 27.0 sacks, 28 tackles for loss and 107 QB hits.

Lawson's career has been derailed by injuries, so health is a big question mark. He burst onto the scene with 8.5 sacks as a rookie, but has played just 58 of a possible 98 games in five seasons since. He suffered a torn ACL in college and a torn Achilles cost him the entire 2021 season after he inked a big-money deal with the Jets in free agency.

Lawson played just six games with the Jets last season, but he was healthy for most of it. After recovering from a back injury, the former first-round pick struggled to get playing time on a loaded defensive front.

However, he was highly productive in 2022 with seven sacks, 24 QB hits, 49 pressures and a 72.8 pass-rush grade on just 58% of the snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Rest assured, Lawson is motivated to stick it to his former team after he rode the bench last year.

He landed in a great spot to bounce back under Zimmer.

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