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A year later, DeMarcus Lawrence remains Cowboys' priority
February, 20, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- Among the highest priorities for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is to improve the pass rush.
While at the NFL scouting combine, the Cowboys are meeting with some of the top defensive ends available, and executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys will lean defensively if possible when it comes to the draft.
Jones also said the Cowboys aren't likely to make big splashes in free agency at high prices, so while thoughts of Jason Pierre-Paul or Justin Houston or Greg Hardy might dance in the minds of fans and some media, think more about finding this year's Jeremy Mincey.
"Affecting the quarterback is important to playing good defense in this league," coach Jason Garrett said. "And at times last year we did a good job at that. Other times we didn't. And you just put too much of a stress and burden on guys on the back end if you are not around that guy."
The Cowboys had just 28 sacks as a team. Mincey led the Cowboys with six.
A year ago at this time the Cowboys started to focus on Boise State defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. They had him as the third-best right defensive end in the draft. After taking Zack Martin in the first round, they traded up in the second round with the Washington Redskins to take Lawrence, giving up their third-rounder.
His rookie season did not get started on time because of a broken foot in training camp. He did not record a sack in eight regular-season games and had just six quarterback pressures.
In the Cowboys' two playoff games, he had two sacks.
He clinched the win against the Detroit Lions with a sack of Matthew Stafford, but that came only after he mistakenly tried to run with the football after a sack and fumble of Stafford a few plays earlier.
The Cowboys believe Lawrence can be their biggest difference-maker in the pass rush in 2015.
"We were really disappointed he lost that time once he got hurt in training camp, lost that time in the early part of the season because they grow so much early on," Garrett said. "These practices and these preseason games are so valuable to these guys. They can really benefit from these reps maybe as much as anybody. I think when he came back we saw that. We saw him grow from practice to practice and week to week and by the end of the year, he was really making a lot of impact plays for us. That sequence in the Detroit game was really big for him. You think about: he knocked the ball out, recovers the fumble and gives it up and they get the ball back and then three or four plays later he makes the sack-fumble and then recovers it. That really wins the game for us. I think that shows what he's all about and what kind of young man he is. You talk about football character. Those are the kind of things we're looking for. We think the sky is the limit for him. We just got to get back to work getting ready for that, too."
February, 20, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- Among the highest priorities for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is to improve the pass rush.
While at the NFL scouting combine, the Cowboys are meeting with some of the top defensive ends available, and executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys will lean defensively if possible when it comes to the draft.
Jones also said the Cowboys aren't likely to make big splashes in free agency at high prices, so while thoughts of Jason Pierre-Paul or Justin Houston or Greg Hardy might dance in the minds of fans and some media, think more about finding this year's Jeremy Mincey.
"Affecting the quarterback is important to playing good defense in this league," coach Jason Garrett said. "And at times last year we did a good job at that. Other times we didn't. And you just put too much of a stress and burden on guys on the back end if you are not around that guy."
The Cowboys had just 28 sacks as a team. Mincey led the Cowboys with six.
A year ago at this time the Cowboys started to focus on Boise State defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. They had him as the third-best right defensive end in the draft. After taking Zack Martin in the first round, they traded up in the second round with the Washington Redskins to take Lawrence, giving up their third-rounder.
His rookie season did not get started on time because of a broken foot in training camp. He did not record a sack in eight regular-season games and had just six quarterback pressures.
In the Cowboys' two playoff games, he had two sacks.
He clinched the win against the Detroit Lions with a sack of Matthew Stafford, but that came only after he mistakenly tried to run with the football after a sack and fumble of Stafford a few plays earlier.
The Cowboys believe Lawrence can be their biggest difference-maker in the pass rush in 2015.
"We were really disappointed he lost that time once he got hurt in training camp, lost that time in the early part of the season because they grow so much early on," Garrett said. "These practices and these preseason games are so valuable to these guys. They can really benefit from these reps maybe as much as anybody. I think when he came back we saw that. We saw him grow from practice to practice and week to week and by the end of the year, he was really making a lot of impact plays for us. That sequence in the Detroit game was really big for him. You think about: he knocked the ball out, recovers the fumble and gives it up and they get the ball back and then three or four plays later he makes the sack-fumble and then recovers it. That really wins the game for us. I think that shows what he's all about and what kind of young man he is. You talk about football character. Those are the kind of things we're looking for. We think the sky is the limit for him. We just got to get back to work getting ready for that, too."
