Cowboys Rumors: Carl Lawson Lands Contract After Jordan Phillips Trade with Giants

Veteran pass-rusher Carl Lawson is set to continue his NFL career after agreeing to a contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

It marked the second notable addition the Cowboys have made to their defensive line this week, as they previously acquired defensive tackle Jordan Phillips in a trade with the New York Giants on Wednesday, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

The 29-year-old Lawson is coming off a disappointing stint with the New York Jets. He signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the club as a free agent in March 2021, but his 2021 season came to an end during training camp when he tore his Achilles.

Despite being healthy enough to play all 17 games during the 2022 season, Lawson didn’t look like he had the same explosiveness that made him such an attractive free-agent acquisition even though he finished with seven sacks.

Things didn’t get better for Lawson in 2023. He fell out of the line rotation and was a healthy inactive for 10 of New York’s 17 games. The Auburn alum only played 101 total snaps in six games without recording a quarterback hit, tackle for loss or sack.

There were rumors leading up to the trade deadline that Lawson could be moved, but the Jets didn’t find another team that wanted to take him.

As the trade deadline was approaching, Lawson made it clear he wanted to find a role that would allow him to contribute.

“I definitely want to play and contribute,” Lawson told reporters on Oct. 26. “I know I can. I’ve proven that. Yeah, I always want to contribute, but right now I’m with the Jets, but I definitely want to play more. I definitely want to do what I did last year [seven sacks]. … I’m a football player, not a cheerleader.”

After playing out the string in New York, Lawson gets the opportunity for a fresh start with the Cowboys. He’s still at an age where he should be in his prime, though the Achilles injury has certainly impacted his effectiveness.

During his peak years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Lawson was a disruptive player on defense. He averaged 20.8 quarterback hits, five sacks and 4.8 tackles for loss per season from 2017 to 2020.

If Dallas allows Lawson to be a complementary player who provides depth behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence instead of relying on him to be an anchor, he is a solid buy-low addition for the defense this season.