Dallas Cowboys: Should Dallas re-sign DeMarcus Lawrence for $17 million?

Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is coming off of a monster season, but did he earn the $17 million that he’s reportedly asking for?

Of all the players who broke out in 2017, few were quite as impressive as Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. In his fourth NFL season, Lawrence anchored the Cowboys’ pass rush and established himself as a legitimately elite edge defender.

As Lawrence prepares to enter free agency, however, the Cowboys are facing what’s shaping up to be a $17 million question.

Lawrence, 25, was drafted by the Cowboys at No. 34 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. He battled injuries during the 2014 and 2016 regular seasons, but offered a pair of standout campaigns in 2015 and 2017.

According to David Helman of Cowboys.com, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones made it clear that Dallas doesn’t want Lawrence going anywhere else.

Per Drew Davison of The Star-Telegram, Lawrence issued a similar statement by claiming that he knows he’ll be playing for the Cowboys in 2018.

"“I already know what my situation is,” Lawrence said. “I don’t really care about it because I know how the Cowboys feel about me and they know how I feel about the organization. My agent is going to take care of everything, and he knows how everyone feels.“I know I’m not going anywhere.”"

It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

Lawrence was one of the breakout stars of the 2017 season, but free agency in the NFL is more unpredictable than in any other sport. Dallas is eligible to slap him with the franchise tag, which would cost roughly $16.5 million.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, however, Lawrence wants to be paid like Olivier Vernon, who received a five-year deal worth $85 million from the New York Giants.

That would be consistent with the one-year price of the franchise tag, but a five-year deal worth such significant money would be a heavy investment.

The $85 million figure is intimidating, but there’s a good chance that the Cowboys will pay that hefty price. Lawrence is one of the best players on the roster, and may very well be the most prolific defensive player in Dallas.

The question is: Should the Dallas Cowboys hand DeMarcus Lawrence $17 million per year, even if it is for just one season?

Lawrence finished the 2017 campaign with 58 tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He was tied with Calais Campbell for second in the NFL in sacks, trailing just Chandler Jones of the Arizona Cardinals.

For his play, Lawrence was named a Second-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.

Pro Football Focus graded Lawrence as the third-best edge defender in the NFL behind just Cameron Jordan and Von Miller. He received the second-best grade in pass rushing and a No. 9 ranking in run defense.

Lawrence has admittedly battled injuries, but it’s worth noting that he played at a high level during his rookie and sophomore NFL seasons.

Furthermore, no 4-3 defensive end was in on more sacks than Lawrence from the left side of the defensive line. Lawrence recorded 79 total quarterback pressures, which was the single best mark posted by a 4-3 defensive end on either side of the line.

Lawrence was also second in the NFL to Los Angeles Chargers star Melvin Ingram in quarterback hurries with 52.

That’s made even more impressive by the fact that Dallas ranked No. 15 in the NFL in sacks (38.0). The only other player on the roster who recorded more than 4.0 sacks in 2017 was David Irving, who will be a restricted free agent in March.

Facing the possibility of losing both Lawrence and Irving, the Cowboys are leaning towards bringing their All-Pro defensive end back to Dallas.

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While the cap hit may sound significant, the Dallas Cowboys must either re-sign DeMarcus Lawrence or quickly identify a replacement in order to remain relevant on defense in 2018.