The Dallas Cowboys may be forced to leave one of the highest paid players on the team.
According to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has turned down a pay cut from Cowboys management. Lawrence is set to earn $19 million in the 2022 season as the third highest paid player at the club. Only Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper - who are likely to be released on a salary of $20 million - have reasons to earn more than Lawrence.
As Watkins notes, whenever a player declines a pay cut, it means he is likely to be released.
"Usually when a player refuses a pay cut, he or she is released sooner," Watkins says.
Lawrence Remains Elite Edge Rusher
Lawrence is a former two-time Pro Bowler (2017, 2018), but his production has declined in recent years. Lawrence posted 25 sacks, 49 quarterback hits and 29 tackles to make up for the loss in those two seasons. However, Lawrence hasn't been the same player ever since he signed a five-year, $105 million contract extension in 2019.
The 29-year-old has posted just 14.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 26 tackles for losses over the past three seasons. Lawrence appeared in only seven matches during the 2021 season after breaking a leg in practice after the opener.
Despite their decline in production, advanced analyzes paint a different picture. According to Pro Football Focus, Lawrence posted a 90.9 defensive grade in 2021 - the fourth highest grade of any lead in the league. This was actually the second year in a row that Lawrence was fourth among all edge rushers in the defensive grade. In fact, it was the second-highest in his career, behind the 91.9 defensive grade he registered in 2017, the most of any lead in the NFL.
Cowboys Will Save Money With the Lawrence Cut
If Lawrence is nominated for a cut after June 1, the Cowboys will save $19 million in cap space with $8 million in dead money.
The Cowboys are ready to cut key players who haven't lived up to their big contracts. Dallas entered the 2022 season with a salary cap of more than $21 million, the third-worst figure in the league.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones acknowledged that some tough decisions will need to be made about key players -- such as Lawrence and Cooper.
"We go through every player on our roster," Jones told Scouting Combination. "I know [the media] can target people you think we'll be seeing and are usually people who are making a lot of money. It comes with making money, unfortunately in this league. Is there value there? We'll definitely work through it."
Jones went on to say that Dallas may be forced to lose a "couple" of good players, but hopes Dallas will be able to rebound with good drafting and making the right decisions in free agency.
"We just have to make some decisions," Jones continued. "Somewhat tough but I think that unfortunately if we lose some good players, hopefully we will continue to do a good job with our drafting process and look for value in free agency so that the way we draft CAN has been designed historically not on a need-based basis but on a best-player-available basis."
As the Cowboys seek to reduce pay, it looks like they will have to move on from some of the most skilled players on their roster.