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Demarcus Lawrence Can Emerge as Key Piece for Dallas Cowboys in 2015

Published by Bleacher Report on Tue, 07 Jul 2015


It's been a busy offseason in Texas this year.The Dallas Mavericks have brought in DeAndre Jordan, while the San Antonio Spurs have signed LaMarcus Aldridge. Those are two of the biggest storylines in the NBA, and, at this time of the year, that means two of the biggest storylines in sports.Detracting from those moves is difficult, but Dez Bryant's contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys are a big enough storyline to do it. Bryant is arguably the best receiver in the NFL, and he has been vocal about his frustration with the franchise tag.Before it was Bryant, Aldridge and Jordan, the Cowboys were drawing headlines with La'el Collins, DeMarco Murray, Joseph Randle and Greg Hardy. A vast shadow has been cast for Demarcus Lawrence to fall into.Lawrence is a relatively unknown defensive end on a defensive unit that surprised but still had limited success last season. In truth, he has no good reason to feel aggrieved about his lack of standing in the media spotlight.He was a rookie who barely played, so he can't claim to be one of the key pieces for his team's success last season. He might be able to soon, though.The 23-year-old was the 34th overall pick of the 2014 draft, a second-rounder. He had initially impressed the Cowboys in offseason practices and early in training camp but suffered a broken foot before he could even make the final 53-man roster. A stint on short-term IR delayed his debut until Week 9 of the season.Even though Lawrence was slow to make an impact in return from that injury, there were enough flashes of his potential to suggest that he can be a pivotal piece in his second year.Lawrence isn't your typical high pick as an edge-rusher. He doesn't possess great pass-rushing ability off the edgeinstead, he is a more well-rounded player who offers consistency against the run and versatility rushing the passer.In the playoffs, he showed off that versatility for a sack of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.Off the snap, Lawrence was initially left in space against left guard Josh Sitton. Sitton is considered one of the best pass-blocking guards in the NFL, but Lawrence wasted little time in taking advantage of the space he was left in.When Sitton attempted to engage Lawrence, the young defender knocked his hands inside, forcing the guard's shoulder to turn. Importantly, though, while he had done this, a double-team had arrived from the center.Having used his strength and quick hands to get good positioning against Sitton, Lawrence then showed off his outstanding reactions and body control to spin away from center Corey Linsley. The defensive end was able to evade Linsley despite the center coming from a blind spot.Once he regained his balance, Lawrence was able to close on Rodgers in the pocket and drop him for a sack.Lawrence is officially listed at 6'3" and 265 pounds. He played just two years in college with Boise State, notching an impressive 20 sacks and 34 tackles for loss in 23 games. He didn't stand out when tested at the combine but showed off his athleticism by playing both inside and outside for Boise.That ability to play both inside and outside will be important for the Cowboys. Early in the year, he will be expected to start outside while Hardy is sidelined through suspension. Once Hardy comes back, the Cowboys will hope to make Jeremy Mincey more of a situational pass-rusher so Lawrence will stay outside.Lawrence's ability to be a disruptive pass-rusher from the inside will allow the Cowboys to be more flexible with their personnel.Before the draft this year, executive vice president Stephen Jones singled out Lawrence as someone who will move inside at times, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News:"The other one who will be able to play some tackle is Demarcus Lawrence. He can slide down in there in sub packages and rush the passer."In rookie Randy Gregory, veterans Hardy and Mincey as well as Lawrence, the Cowboys have four potentially potent edge-rushers. Hardy could move inside also, with the Cowboys already having Tyrone Crawford to act as an interior pass-rusher.With Crawford, the Cowboys will be able to use a very deep rotation in pass-rushing situations and create competition for snaps between all five players.The prominence of passing games across the league coupled with the Cowboys' expectancyto have one of the better offenses in the league will shift more focus onto the team's ability to rush the passer. However, there is still huge value in a defensive lineman who can stop the run on early downs.In 2014, the Cowboys ranked 22nd in efficiency on defense by Football Outsiders'DVOA measure. They were equally ineffective against the pass and run, ranking 22nd in both.Lawrence is stout enough and aware enough to consistently set the edge against offensive tackles, but his most impactful plays against the run come when he is left against tight ends in positions to penetrate past the line of scrimmage.Just like with his pass rush, Lawrence relies on his combination of strength, short-area burst and hand usage.On this play, the New York Giants attempted to run a stretch play past Lawrence toward the sideline. To prevent him from disrupting the play, they used the tight end who initially lined up outside of him to clamp down on the edge.Although it looks like Lawrence is being double-teamed, the left tackle simply bumped the defensive end before pulling to the outside.That bump helped the tight end, but not enough.With great haste, Lawrence was able to work his hands into position where he could whip the blocker out of his way. Because of how fast he shed that block, he had a good angle to close on the running back behind the line of scrimmage before he could escape outside.Lawrence still needed to show off a burst before making an impressive, outstretched tackle to complete the tackle for a loss.Those traits allow Lawrence to make impact plays, but just as significant is how often he makes them. Moving forward, his effort will play a huge role in making him a valuable run defender if he can sustain it on a greater workload.Even though his snaps were limited last year, he showed off a high motor and willingness to never give up on plays when he did play.This play against the Washington offense is a clear example of a play that is easy for a defensive end to give up on without major blame. Lawrence lined up at right defensive end. He was initially left unblocked as the offense was running away from him.Lawrence wasn't overly aggressive in pursuit of the running back, accounting for any quarterback keeper or cutback.After showing discipline initially to contain any potential cutback behind the line of scrimmage, Lawrence worked his way back downfield to put himself in position to prevent a cutback after the line of scrimmage. Roy Helu eventually attempted to make that cutback, but Lawrence chopped him down with a low tackle.His tackle may not have come behind the line of scrimmage, but it prevented Helu from advancing deep into the secondary for a much bigger gain.Lawrence alone won't turn the Cowboys into an average run defense. Instead, they will need to improve at every level of their defense. He can make a big impact, especially alongside Greg Hardy, who is an outstanding run defender as well as pass-rusher.Lawrence made an impact late last season, but maybe more importantly, he made an impression on defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News:I think he'll get a little bit better each week. It's just about the keys and all of those things.He's so hungry and eager. Now it's just getting his pad level down, how he can jump out of his stance a little bit quicker, just those things. But the work is there and the want-to is there.So while he may not be as important as Dez Bryant or as exciting as Joseph Randle, Demarcus Lawrence could still prove to be a key piece for the Dallas Cowboys in 2015.The Cowboys have upgraded their defense over recent times, but they still aren't stocked with talent all over the field. That puts more pressure on their more talented players to consistently make impactful plays and carry those who are closer to being liabilities.As cornerback Orlando Scandrick showed last season, the Cowboys need defenders who can be consistent and make timely plays to complement their offense. They don't need dominant players who play to the level of Richard Sherman or J.J. Watt on every play.Lawrence should be expected to follow in the footsteps of Scandrickhe'll just do it at a different position.Editor's note: An earlier version of this story included Henry Melton as a Cowboy. He signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March. We regret the error.
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