Tyrone Crawford, Cowboys Agree on New Contract: Latest Details, Reaction

After a breakout season in 2014, Tyrone Crawford has been rewarded with a long-term contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys. 

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, the contract is for five years and $45 million. 

Crawford tweeted out a picture of him signing the deal to stay in Dallas:

The two sides have been working toward a contract before the 2015 season started, with Rapoport reporting on September 11 that Dallas was "aggressively" pushing to get a deal done with Crawford. 

There was a lot of admiration for the franchise by Crawford, who offered this assessment of everything around him to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News while negotiations were still going on:

This is a major and necessary move for the Cowboys. Their defensive line has had problems for the last two years, finishing in the bottom five in sacks. Crawford doesn't directly impact that particular stat, recording three sacks in 2014, but his ability to disrupt quarterbacks is invaluable. 

Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus named him to the All-NFC East team in 2014, thanks in large part to a pass-rushing productivity rating of plus-7.6. 

The only major question about Crawford is track record—or lack thereof. He was a third-round draft pick in 2012 and appeared in 16 games with 16 tackles and no sacks as a rookie before missing the entire 2013 season after tearing his Achilles. 

Last year was Crawford's first season of consistent, high-level production, though at only 25 years old, he is just entering the prime of his career and should continue to get better. 

The Cowboys are built on a strong offensive foundation, led by the five men protecting Tony Romo, but being able to lock up a stellar young defensive player like Crawford will help ensure the team continues to improve on last season's playoff run.