To say the Dallas Cowboys have a laundry list of things to do this offseason would be a massive understatement.
Figuring out the offensive line is a must after stalwart right guard Zack Martin announced his retirement. That creates another headache for the front office, which already has to navigate a staggering number of impending free agents.
The latest rumblings suggest Dallas will look internally, potential to 2024 third-round pick Cooper Beebe, to replace the future Hall of Famer. The Cowboys normally “trust their guys” too much, but moving Beebe from center to right guard would be a diligent move.
The last thing this team needs is to lose another core piece to retirement. Stephen Jones put a scare into fans at the Combine when asked about DeMarcus Lawrence’s future. Jones gave a very calculated answer that did not confirm if Lawrence wants to play another season.
Well, we can officially put an end to the Lawrence retirement talk.
Cowboys must re-sign DeMarcus Lawrence after latest revelation
David Canter, who is the agent of multiple Cowboys free agents, including Lawrence, Jourdan Lewis and Rico Dowdle, sat down with 105.3 The Fan at the NFL Combine and confirmed the 32-year-old wants to continue playing.
While Lawrence stated during the season that he wanted to play in 2025, Jones’ remarks hinted the lifetime Cowboy was contemplating retirement. Lawrence is still playing at a high level, but approaching his mid-30s and coming off a season-ending foot injury that limited him to four games, it’d be easy to understand if he decided to hang ’em up.
Following Thursday’s revelation, though, re-signing Lawrence should be an easy call. While approaching the end of his career, he is a year removed from one of his finest seasons. He also started 2024 on a tear before succumbing to a mid-foot sprain.
Lawrence is still comfortably the best run defender on the roster.
Prior to last season, the four-time Pro Bowler ranked in the top 10 among edge defenders in run-stop percentage in five of the last six seasons, per Pro Football Focus. 2021 season was the lone exception, but he only played seven games. He ranked first in that category in 2022 and 2023.
It’s unclear what Lawrence is looking for in terms of salary, but we’re talking about a culture- and tone-setter and future Ring of Honor inductee. Lawrence deserves to play out his career as a Cowboy. He’s the longest-tenured player on the team following Martin’s retirement.
We’re all for replenishing the roster with younger players, but this team needs veteran leadership under a first-time head coach.
As long as Lawrence is still playing football it should be in a Cowboys uniform.
