Pro Football Talk, citing a league source, reports that the Cowboys and franchise DE DeMarcus Lawrence are getting close to an agreement on a new long-term contract.
- According to Ian Rapoport, the two sides are “cautiously optimistic” about getting a deal done and it appears though they’re motivated to try to get an agreement worked out in advance of the July deadline.
- Meanwhile, two sources tell Clarence Hill that the Cowboys and are not close to getting a deal done, but they are talking.
Last we heard regarding the Cowboys and Lawrence, Ian Rapoport reported that the two sides had been exchanging contract proposals for the past several weeks and Dallas was willing to pay him around $20 million per year.
However, Lawrence was looking for a little more than that.
The other issue is that Lawrence still needs to undergo labrum surgery and the Cowboys would like him to get the surgery as soon as possible. Although, he reportedly plans to wait until they get a long-term deal in place.
Rapoport says that this surgery comes with a four-month recovery, so he would need to have the procedure either April or May at the latest to ensure he’s ready for Week 1.
Lawrence, 26, is a former second-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Boise State. He finished a four-year rookie contract before the Cowboys used their franchise tag on him last year.
The Cowboys followed that up by franchising Lawrence for the second straight year this offseason.
In 2018, Lawrence appeared in all 16 games for the Cowboys and recorded 64 tackles, 10.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, a recovery and a pass defense. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 9 overall edge defender out of 103 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding the Cowboys and Lawrence as the news is available.
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