DeMarcus Lawrence

Lawrence took a back seat to Robert Quinn in the Dallas pass rush last season, a disappointing return on the first year of the mammoth contract extension he received in April. There were extenuating circumstances, however, as his recovery from shoulder surgery kept him sidelined through camp and may have impacted his fitness level and ability to handle the consistent double teams he faces. Lawrence recorded a decent 4.5 sacks through the first eight games of 2019 but faded down the stretch with only half a sack in the second half, resulting in the lowest total over a full 16 games in his career. The 28-year-old should be healthy right out of the gate this time around, and a return to double-digit sacks seems like a safe bet. However, the Cowboys will need him to step back up with Quinn now in Chicago and only reclamation projects Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory coming in to give Lawrence support.

Offseason shoulder surgery figures to take Lawrence's recovery to Week 1 - drop him lower if risk is a concern. Lawrence is the kind of rare pass rusher who could hit double-digit sacks even if he misses a few games - his 25 sacks the last two years occurred on just 1,439 snaps, a rate that translates to about 16 sacks on a 950-snap projection. He piles up tackles at a healthy rate, too, offering a 60-tackle baseline even while playing fewer than 750 snaps. Lawrence is capable of finishing first among DL IDPs, though probably not in his first year back from surgery.

It's fair to worry a bit when a player breaks out in a contract year, but Lawrence's ascent correlates just fine with the skills growth that was projected all along, so it's probably best to presume this is merely a case where a 25-year-old prospect turned a corner in his development. If injuries hadn't messed up his 2016 season, when he posted just one sack after finishing the prior season with eight, then no one would have found anything surprising about Lawrence totaling 14.5 sacks last year. Lawrence probably can't approach the top tier and plenty of young guns are on his heels, but it's hard to see how Lawrence disappoints if healthy.

Big things were expected from Lawrence last year after he racked up eight sacks and 55 tackles in 2015, but a suspension and back injury limited him to nine ineffective performances instead. January back surgery -- the second straight offseason in which he's gone under the knife to correct back problems -- could finally restore him to full health, but heading into his fourth NFL season, Lawrence can no longer be considered a secure foundation piece for any future Cowboys success in the pass rush.

After failing to record a sack as a rookie, Lawrence stepped up with a team-leading eight in 2015 and seems poised to provide the Cowboys with the impact pass rusher they've been lacking since DeMarcus Ware left town. A four-game suspension for a violation of the league's drug policy will sideline him for the first month of the season, but once Lawrence returns to action he might still have enough time to lead the team in sacks once again given Dallas' lack of established options at defensive end.

Lawrence was a second-round pick last year after 10.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss in his final season at Boise State, but a broken foot in summer sidelined him most of the year. He impressed when he returned, posting a sack in each of Dallas' two playoff games. An athletic player with the ability to bend the edge, Lawrence steps into a lead role on the Dallas defense this year. He's unproven, but he will be the Cowboys' best defensive end (perhaps even best lineman) while Greg Hardy is suspended the first 10 games.

The Cowboys traded up to the top of the second round to grab Lawrence as their newest pass-rush threat off the edge, but without an established veteran sacker to take some pressure off Lawrence he could find it tough to make a big impact as a rookie. Lawrence has the physical tools to be a constant thorn in the sides of opposition QBs once he gets his feet wet, but a foot injury in camp badly slowed his development and will delay his pro debut until the second half of the season.