When the Cowboys signed Carl Lawson to a contract last week, in part as a response to the season-ending knee injury suffered by Sam Williams, the team was taking a bit of a gamble. Lawson has shown talent as a pass rusher when the situation is right, but he has frequently found himself in bad situations, especially with injuries. And last year, when he lost his job with the Jets in the final season of a three-year, $45 million contract, he did not handle the demotion well and the team simply stopped playing him.
Lawson suffered a back injury in training camp, and amid a falling out with the Jets, he appeared in only six games, playing 101 snaps.
“I feel like a younger player,” Lawson said in meeting with the media this week. “My potential, honestly, hasn’t been reached due to injuries, or situations, or teams that I’ve been on that haven’t clicked or had quarterbacks not playing, whether they’re hurt or been a down offense. I’ve been a very effective pass rusher in this league, but on losing teams.”
Little doubt what he is referencing there: The 2023 Jets, who saw Aaron Rodgers go out in the season opener and who never clicked after that, trudging on to a 7-10 record.
Cowboys Relationships Should Help Lawson
The good news for the Cowboys is that Lawson brings some upside, assuming he can stay healthy. Lawson had his best season back when he was a rookie for the Bengals in 2017, recording 8.5 sacks and eight tackles for a loss in 16 games. He played for defensive coordinator Paul Guenther—who is now the defensive run-game coordinator in Dallas—that year.
Lawson also has a relationship with defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina that goes back to his draft combine showing.
“My relationship with Paul, or even [Jeff Zgonina], because I don’t want to make things too personal [on Guenther] because [Zgonina] was one of the first people at the Combine who said anything positive,” Lawson said. He probably doesn’t remember it, but it meant a lot to me for someone to tell me I could be something in this league. I’ll always remember that interview. … And then Pauly has always believed in me, so I just wanna give the best I possibly can. You can count on that.”
He also said he appreciates the notion of playing for a franchise with the history the Cowboys have.
“It’s a blessing to be able to add to it and to be able to add to such a historic franchise such as this, and especially for a fanbase like this,” Lawson said. “I just want to give them my all. I’m gonna do everything I can to be a dominant player.”
Carl Lawson Putting 2023 Behind Him
Ultimately, part of this coming tenure with the Cowboys will be personal for Lawson, because he needs to still prove he belongs in the NFL. He has a daunting injury history that includes an ACL tear in college, another ACL tear after his standout rookie year in Cincinnati and a torn Achilles tendon in 2021, which kept him out that entire year.
He does not want the 2023 Jets experience to define his career.
“That was definitely a tough situation, but God humbles you in different ways,” Lawson said. “Even if you do everything that you can possibly do, sometimes situations don’t work out for you but stay the course, keep fighting, represent yourself as the best possible human being that you could possibly be; and things will shake out for you, whether it’s on the field or just in life. I’m just humbled and excited to get to work.
“I’ve been in the game for a long time but I do feel like a younger player, I just haven’t been able to put it all together. I know how talented I am and I wanna be able to keep working to be able to help this organization win, and bring a Super Bowl back to Dallas.”
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
