With an immediate need for an impact player at right defensive end, the Dallas Cowboys packaged their original second (47th overall) and third round (78th overall) draft choices and moved up in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft in a trade with Washington to select DeMarcus Lawrence with the 34th overall pick. He was given the opportunity to compete for a starting spot during his first training camp, but a broken foot suffered in practice landed him on the Reserve/Injured-Returnable list, forcing him to miss the first eight games of the season. He played in seven regular season games, missing one with an injured chest, and both playoff games, tallying 11 tackles, one for a loss and six pressures. He had 2.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in the postseason. In 2015 Lawrence earned the starting nod at end and finished with 13 starts in 16 games played, leading the team with 8.0 sacks. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, then limited with a back injury as the season came to an end, playing nine games with three starts. Lawrence was named to his first career Pro Bowl in 2017 after tying for second in the NFL with a career-best 14.5 sacks and team-leading 52 pressures - the most by a Cowboys defender in a single season since Charles Haley had 52 in 1994. He earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection following the 2018 season after pacing the team with 10.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 39 hurries. Leading up to training camp in 2019, Lawrence signed a five-year contract to keep him in Dallas for years to come. He then finished the 2019 season starting all 16 games - second consecutive, third time overall - and posting 40 tackles, 5.0 sacks (second on the team) with a team-best nine tackles for loss and 36 pressures (second). In 2020 Lawrence led the team in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (eight), pressures (37) and forced fumbles (four, tied for the most in his career) while finishing eighth with 52 tackles (second in his career). The 2021 season saw Lawrence miss 10 games, breaking his foot during a practice leading up to Week 2. He spent the next 10 weeks on Reserve/Injured, then returned for the final six games of the season. In the beginning of 2022 free agency, Lawrence signed a one-year extension, keeping him in Dallas through 2024, and he started every game for the third time of his career - first since 2019 - contributing 61 tackles, six tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries to earn his third trip to the Pro Bowl.
