Cowboys Won't Make Edge Changes Despite DeMarcus Lawrence Injury

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Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence will miss the next six to eight weeks with a broken bone in his foot. He suffered the injury at practice on Wednesday and had successful surgery to fix the ailment on Thursday. As the best pass rusher and run defender on the Dallas Cowboys, it’s a devastating blow, especially when coupling it with fellow defensive end Randy Gregory likely to miss Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers as well while he goes through COVID protocols.

To combat these setbacks the Cowboys should add another piece to rush the passer right? Well, that may be true, but according to team owner Jerry Jones, the Cowboys are content with the guys they have in the building already.

“We’ve got talented players who can do several things,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Friday. “We’ll put people out there that are capable of making the plays.”

Dorance Armstrong and free-agent signing Tarell Basham will see a sizeable increase in snaps. This opportunity comes at a very opportune time for Armstrong. He’s currently in a contract season and is looking to continue his momentum from a strong showing in training camp and the preseason. Basham has experience in both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive looks and seeing as the Cowboys like to show multiple fronts on their defensive line, this signing made sense. He got a two-year deal as opposed to the usual one-year contract the Cowboys usually give veteran free agents, which shows they see him as more than just a temporary plugin.

Bradlee Anae, the Cowboy’s fifth-round pick in 2020, should see an increase in his role as well. He only logged just six defensive snaps as a rookie but nearly doubled that in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 10.

Chauncey Golston, the Cowboy’s third-round pick back in April, will finally get his chance to show what he can bring to the table. He impressed during OTAs and minicamp but spent all of training camp and the preseason on the PUP list due to a hamstring issue. During his college days at Iowa, Golston rushed the passer from the edge as well as the interior, which gives him some position flex.

There’s another player that will see more edge-rushing responsibilities. Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons is the Cowboys swiss army knife on defense, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he’s being moved to defensive end.

With a serious need at an important spot on defense, the #Cowboys are shifting LB Micah Parsons to DE. A look at the ramifications of the move for the talented rookie: https://t.co/br6IPr9V03

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 19, 2021

In training camp, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn used Parsons’s ability to rush from the edge quite frequently. Also, the young stud got guidance from the aforementioned Lawrence and future Hall of Fame pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks.

These five players have only combined for 10 sacks between them in the NFL. However, this is what Jones and the Cowboys are rolling with going forward. With an athletic quarterback like Justin Herbert on deck this Sunday, their performance will need to be solid if the Cowboys want to steal one on the road.