Who Is Carl Lawson? All You Need to Know about Former Jets DE Signed by Cowboys

Former Jets DE Carl Lawson is signing with the Cowboys. Here’s everything you need to know about him.

By Blesson Daniel

Published on Aug 15, 2024 | 08:43 PM IST | 59.9K

Carl Lawson [Credit-X]

Carl Lawson, a former New York Jets defensive end, will join the Dallas Cowboys, a source told ESPN on Thursday. Lawson is the Cowboys' second defensive line addition in two days, after Wednesday's trade with the New York Giants for defensive lineman Jordan Phillips.

Lawson worked out for the Cowboys in Oxnard, California, after the club lost pass rusher Sam Williams to a broken ACL during one of the early training camp workouts, but Dallas instead signed Al-Quadin Muhammad and Shaka Toney. Toney has since been waived/injured for a groin injury

The 29-year-old Lawson was touted as a huge acquisition to the Jets in 2021 when he signed a three-year, $45 million contract in free agency, but he fell short of expectations, appearing in only 23 games over three seasons.

Carl Lawson was born on June 29, 1995. He attended Milton High School in Milton, Georgia. There, he had 87 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior and 78 tackles and 27 sacks his senior year. Lawson was a huge consensus five-star recruit. He was also ranked among the top recruits in his class. Later he went to Auburn University to play college football for them.

As a true freshman at Auburn in 2013, Lawson recorded 20 tackles and four sacks. A ruptured ACL forced him to miss his sophomore year in 2014. In 2015, Lawson played in seven games in his junior season due to injuries, recording 17 tackles and one sack.

Lawson was first signed by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and had an outstanding rookie season, finishing with 8.5 sacks, the highest among all rookies in the league. Unfortunately, injuries have followed him throughout his NFL career.

In 2018, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a ruptured ACL in Week 8. Though he was forced to miss numerous games, Lawson recorded 20 sacks in 51 appearances.

He signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the New York Jets in 2021, but his season ended early due to a torn Achilles' tendon during a joint practice before the season began, same like Williams'. When he returned in 2022, he had 33 tackles and 7 sacks.

During his final season with the Jets, he was outperformed by skilled players Jermaine Johnson, Bryce Huff, and Will McDonald.

Lawson, now a free agent and completely healthy, should be a valuable addition to Dallas' defense. He's already familiar with Cowboys defensive run-game coordinator Paul Guenther, having played for him during his breakout rookie season when Guenther was the Bengals' defensive coordinator. Despite his injuries, Lawson has shown that he understands how to come back.

Also Read: Is Travis Kelce Planning to Attend Taylor Swift’s Last European Eras Tour Stop in London? Find Out