Tyrone Crawford Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas Cowboys

With the regular season rapidly approaching, the Dallas Cowboys have locked defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford up over the long term, signing him to a five-year extension on Saturday. Crawford announced the signing on Twitter: 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added the deal was worth $45 million.

According to Rapoport on Sept. 11, the Cowboys were being aggressive in their pursuit of signing Crawford to an extension and hoped to have it done before the first regular-season game against the New York Giants on Sunday. 

Crawford was entering the final season of his rookie contract signed in 2012 that will pay him a base salary of $675,000 (per Spotrac). 

The 25-year-old doesn't have a substantial track record of success, playing sparingly as a rookie and missing the entire 2013 season with a torn Achilles. He started 15 games last season, recording 25 tackles and three sacks. 

However, the stats don't do justice to Crawford's impact on Dallas' defensive line. Chris Phillips of ProFootballFocus.com called the former third-round pick the Cowboys' secret superstar heading into this season after finishing 13th among all defensive tackles with an overall grade of plus-11.9. 

Crawford's specialty is rushing the passer, as he finished with a grade plus-12.5 last year, and that's a huge area of need for the Cowboys. They only had 27 sacks last season and signed Greg Hardy to boost the defensive line, though he is suspended for the first four games. 

After looking like a role player as a rookie, Crawford's development after missing his second season is one big reason Dallas' defense is able to support a loaded offense. Locking him up long-term is a smart move for owner Jerry Jones.