Cowboys Rumors: DeMarcus Lawrence to Have 'Strong Open Market' in NFL Free Agency

The Dallas Cowboys will have to compete with a "strong open market" if they want to re-sign edge DeMarcus Lawrence for 2025, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler wrote on Wednesday that the Cowboys "felt good about Lawrence's play as a high-motor pass rusher who can disrupt off the edge and stop the run," but that the team could prioritize re-signing three-time Pro Bowler Micah Parsons.

"That inherently creates challenges to re-signing Lawrence, who should have a strong open market, though Dallas would of course leave the door open for discussions," Fowler wrote.

The Cowboys restructured Lawrence's contract in 2020, leaving them set to pay $8.7 million in voided money next season unless the team kicks that farther down the road as part of a new deal.

Lawrence has not played since suffering a Lisfranc injury to his right foot in a Week 4 win over the New York Giants.

Prior to suffering the injury he had recorded 3.0 sacks, 14 combined tackles and five quarterback hits in four game.

This is not the first time Lawrence has missed games because of injury in a contract year. He was sidelined for 10 games with a broken foot during the final year of his previous contract in 2021.

That season, Lawrence returned for the last six games of the season and a Wild Card game before inking an extension with the Cowboys in March 2022.

Lawrence is heading into his age-33 campaign and his 12th season in the NFL. Although he played a combined 34 games between his 2022 and 2023 Pro Bowl campaigns, his shortened seasons in 2021 and 2024 raise some concerns about his injury history.

He will now hope to return to the field before the end of the 2024 season in order to boost his value should he decide to test the open market. He is eligible to be activated from the injured reserve when available.

The Cowboys meanwhile need to address the extension for Parsons, on whom they have already exercised their $21.3 million club option for the 2025 season.

Although Parsons missed four games this season with a high ankle sprain, he could potentially reset the market for defensive players. Given that the Cowboys have already committed a combined average annual salary of $94 million to wideout CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott, the franchise may wait to see what Parsons' extension looks like before figuring out how to shape the rest of their roster around these three stars.