Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, along with nine-time Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin, is the longest-tenured, active Dallas Cowboy, entering his 11th NFL season after being selected 34th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Despite being on the back nine of his professional football career at age 32, in the eyes of head coach Mike McCarthy, Lawrence remains as impactful as ever for the Cowboys both on and off the field, something Pro Bowl voters agree with as he has earned selections in each of the last two seasons despite only 10 total sacks in 2022 and 2023 combined.
"Just looking back, one of the first things I did when coming here in 2020 was, you would pull up your old game plans from playing the Cowboys, and one thing we talked about with D-Law is that he's a bowling ball full of butcher knives," McCarthy said on Wednesday at his press conference. "He's that kind of player. That's what I think everybody knows and loves about him. He's hard all the time. He's been a good leader for us. I know in my time here, he commands respect, and he's earned it."
"You've got to say that one more time," Lawrence said on Wednesday, taken aback after hearing McCarthy's words relayed to him by media members.
A bowling ball full of butcher knives was what his head coach said, perhaps making an unofficial, stylistic comparison between Lawrence and the Tasmanian Devil.
"I guess that's a compliment, right?" Lawrence asked on Wednesday. "I try to mix it up every now and then, but most definitely try to come off as aggressive."
Where does that play style come from? Years of honing his craft.
"It comes from fundamentals, man," Lawrence said Wednesday. "Working on your craft each and every day. I feel like my coaching staffs over the years have done a great job teaching me my alignment, my assignment, working off my key and how to play off that depending on what kind of block they give me. Just great coaches over the years and being able to manipulate my technique into what I need to get done."
McCarthy then explained the reason for the compliment was because of how aggressively and violently he crashes through the B and C gaps at the line scrimmage when defending both the run and the pass. His elaboration on Lawrence's play style led to a comparison to New York Giants Pro Football Hall of Fame pass rusher Michael Strahan. Lawrence ranked second in the entire NFL among edge rushers when it came to defending the run in 2023 since his Pro Football Focus run defense grade of 92.4 stood only behind Las Vegas Raiders 2023 Second Team All-Pro Maxx Crosby's grade (92.7).
"He plays so violent in both the run and the pass," McCarthy said, via the Dallas Morning News. "You know Strahan. I thought that was always a Michael Strahan trait. Obviously, you talk about the stats, but Michael was a great player also against the run."
