The Dallas Cowboys already appear to have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, but they are still adding to their team even though training camp is well underway. After finalizing a trade from the New York Giants for defensive tackle Jordan Phillips on Wednesday night, the Cowboys’ front office added another veteran player to their defensive line on Thursday morning.

Dallas has two star pass rushers at its disposal in Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, but the depth behind those two is somewhat lacking. This led the Cowboys to opt for former New York Jets star pass rusher Carl Lawson as the team got him on the free agent market in an effort to increase squad density behind Parsons and Lawrence.

Cowboys hope that Carl Lawson will find his form again

Lawson signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Jets in 2021, but missed his entire first season with them after tearing his Achilles tendon during a joint practice against the Green Bay Packers. He rebounded in 2022 with a seven-sack season, but played virtually no role for the Jets in 2023, appearing only sporadically over the course of six games.

It was pretty clear that Lawson would not renew his contract with New York, but it was difficult to generate interest during the offseason. However, he remained patient and eventually the Cowboys called, leading to them working out a deal. Lawson won’t be a starter from day one, but he has the potential to carve out a role for himself in obvious passing situations if he makes their 53-man roster.

Lawson shined in a similar role early in his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks as a rookie in 2017 while being used primarily as a situational pass rusher. Over the course of his career, Lawson has developed into a talented all-around defensive end, but given how poorly his 2023 season has gone, Dallas may only have plans to use him in a few simpler roles.

This deal won’t be worth an outrageous amount of money, so there’s relatively little risk on the Cowboys’ part. There’s a chance Lawson can be successful for them, but after his ugly 2023 season, there’s no guarantee. He’ll be a player Dallas should keep an eye on in the upcoming training camp and preseason, but even if he doesn’t stay on the team, it won’t hurt them too much.