Dallas Cowboys: Time to end the DeMarcus Lawrence drama

One way or another, the Dallas Cowboys need to end the drama with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and his contract situation

Contract disputes rarely ever end well and there are some recent examples to fall back on for proof. While players such as Khalil Mack and Le’Veon Bell offer recent proof, the Dallas Cowboys can also see the negative results of these disputes by looking back to their 2015 season.

That was the year they place the franchise tag on Dez Bryant and the star receiver ended up missing some important offseason work. When they finally did come to terms with him on a new deal, Bryant found himself struggling with nagging foot problems and managed to play just nine games that season.

There’s a threat of there being a similar problem with DeMarcus Lawrence, who is in his own dispute with the team. After receiving the franchise tag for the second season in a row, Lawrence is looking like a holdout candidate and that can have an effect on the 2019 season.

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One of the biggest fears in this would be the notion that Lawrence could put off shoulder surgery as he angles for a new deal. Should this come to fruition, the Cowboys would be in danger of seeing Lawrence miss time — just as Bryant did in 2015.

With that being said, this team needs to put this chapter behind them. If they want to keep Lawrence around, they have to give him a fair deal. If they don’t do this, they’re only hurting themselves. Not only is Lawrence at risk to miss games, but his price tag will only increase.

For example, had they locked him up last season there wouldn’t be a Khalil Mack contract for Lawrence and his team to use as a starting point. They would also be looking at $17 million as a starting point (the tag last season) as opposed to the $20.5 million this season.

While Locking Lawrence up now is ideal, we can also play devil’s advocate and say there’s no point in extending the drama even if they wanted to move on. Lawrence’s trade value won’t increase by waiting, but could decrease should he continue to wait on his surgery. They’re also holding themselves hostage as that’s $20.5 million they could be using on free agents in an attempt to fill the massive hole his departure would create.

Whatever course of action they think is best, Dallas needs to just bite the bullet and end the drama. No one is benefiting from it being unresolved.