DeMarcus Lawrence wants to be more dominant on Cowboys defense this season

Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has been a valuable player for Dallas throughout his nine seasons in the league. Going into the 2023 season, however, he wants to be more dominant than ever before.

The former second-round draft pick out of Boise State spoke to the media on Wednesday following the Cowboys’ first day of training camp practice.

“I feel like I want to be more dominant,” Lawrence said. “I think I can play a bigger role, take my dominance to the next level, especially being more familiar with the defense and understanding what my back role responsibilities are.

“Just to cover, understanding the coverages, knowing how much time I have on those coverages.”

In 2022, Lawrence starred in every game for Dallas, despite coming off of a fractured foot in 2021 that caused him to miss all but seven games. In 17 games, he had 65 tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

With Micah Parsons planning to play more positions on the field this season, Lawrence will provide the constant pressure from the edge.

The Cowboys extended his contract for three years at $40 million last March. To help the team clear roughly $8.9 million in cap space this offseason, Lawrence agreed to convert $13.3 million into a signing bonus.

Lawrence ranked No. 99 overall in NFL Top 100

DeMarcus Lawrence made a return to the NFL Top 100 this week during the first group’s reveal.

As voted on by his fellow players, Lawrence is No. 99 overall heading into the 2023 season. He is sandwiched between Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (100) and Buccaneers right tackle Tristan Wirfs (98).

“Tank” last appeared in the NFL Top 100 in 2019. At that time, he was No. 45, coming off of a 10.5-sack season during which he also added 10 tackles for loss and an interception.

Lawrence was also on the elite list in 2018 following a 14.5 sack performance in 2017. He also posted four forced fumbles that year.

Not only a productive defender for Dallas, Tank has also developed into one of the most vocal members of the team. As his NFL Top 100 clip shows, he’s quick to lead the huddle and offer insights into his opponents’ weaknesses.

“He’s been one of the best ends in the league for a long time,” Eagles center Jason Kelce said in the NFL Films video. “He’s got a good blend of power and speed. To be a good defensive lineman in this league, you have to be able to threaten an offensive lineman with both of those. He’s got some standard moves that he’s really that good at.”