Cowboys' veteran is still one of the better players at his position
One of the things the Dallas Cowboys have done well over the past few seasons is play defense. The front runners in terms of credit would have to be linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback Trevon Diggs, which is understandable. However, one elder statesman is still showing his worth as well. When Pro Football Focus dropped […]
One of the things the Dallas Cowboys have done well over the past few seasons is play defense.
The front runners in terms of credit would have to be linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback Trevon Diggs, which is understandable. However, one elder statesman is still showing his worth as well.
When Pro Football Focus dropped their list of the 25 best edge rushers from the 2022 season, DeMarcus Lawrence landed at the No. 22 spot.
"While not quite at the elite level that he’s been playing at in previous seasons, Lawrence continues to be a consistent threat off the edge as both a pass rusher and a run defender. Entering his 30s, a drop-off in pass-rush production wouldn’t be much of a surprise, but he still earned a 74.6 pass-rush grade (26th), which led to 55 total pressures (tied for 19th).
"Lawrence remained dominant as a run defender, leading the position in run-stop rate (12.5%). He has landed among the top 10 in that metric in four of the past five seasons."
The knock on Lawrence when comes to the casual fan is that he doesn't sack the quarterback as he once did in 2017 and 2018 when he racked up 25 over that span and received second-team All-Pro honor. But that's never been the true measure of an edge rusher.
A perfect example is what happened when the Cowboys took on the Detroit Lions last season.
The Lions had a first and goal at the one-yard line trailing 10-6 early in the fourth quarter. Lawrence would spit a double team, hit the pulling guard, puts a hat on tight end Brock Wright who lined up at fullback on the play, and forced a fumble by Lions' running back Jamaal Williams which was recovered by linebacker Anthony Barr.
The play by Lawrence not only stopped the Lions from taking the lead but it crushed any momentum they had, and they never scored another point. It's those types of plays that win games in the NFL, and it further demonstrated the value that Lawrence has.
Lawrence has been about as constant of a run-stopper as there is in the NFL from the edge for quite some time. It doesn't show up on the highlights, but Lawrence is a hard hat and lunch pail type of player which is extremely important in the trenches, and his prowess on the edge against the run puts teams in passing situations which aids guys like Parsons in getting sacks.
Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
