Cowboys' Lawrence likely to miss out preseason


Devdiscourse News Desk | Dallas | Updated: 09-04-2019 04:43 IST | Created: 09-04-2019 04:25 IST
Cowboys' Lawrence likely to miss out preseason
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A day after reports that he will have shoulder surgery to fix a torn labrum, Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence confirmed Monday he expects to miss the preseason while recovering in hopes of playing in Week 1. Fresh off reaching a five-year deal to remain in Dallas, Lawrence said on The Rich Eisen Show that he will undergo surgery on Wednesday after putting off the procedure while he sorted out his contract, reportedly worth $105 million.

Lawrence, 26, played through the injury in the 2018 season and led the Cowboys with 10.5 sacks. The two-time Pro Bowler has 25 sacks over the past two season, with no other Cowboy recording double digits over the same span. Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones told a Dallas radio station Monday that the team is "hopeful" that Lawrence will be back sooner rather than later.

"Yes, you are always hopeful for the shorter time barring some complication," Jones told 103.3 FM on Monday morning, per the Star-Telegram. "It was certainly a concern. He played with it last year. We felt like it was in his best interest long-term. DeMarcus felt that way. We needed to get surgery. It turns out it got done in a timely fashion. We couldn't do a contract that wasn't good for DeMarcus and the Cowboys." The Cowboys tagged Lawrence in March for the second year in a row, giving them until July 15 to sign him to a long-term extension. Lawrence played the 2018 season on his $17.1 million tender, and he could have made $20.5 million on the tag in 2019, but reports had indicated he was unlikely to participate in training camp if he didn't receive a long-term extension.

In five seasons in Dallas, Lawrence has a combined 34 sacks and 200 tackles in 64 games (47 starts). The Cowboys selected the Boise State product in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. 

(With inputs from agencies.)

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