Cowboys sign defensive end Carl Lawson

According to Mike Fisher of Athlon Sports on Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive end Carl Lawson of Alpharetta, Georgia to a contract. The terms of the deal are undisclosed.

Lawson is joining his third National Football League franchise. He previously played four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2017 to 2020, and the last two seasons with the New York Jets. Lawson missed the entire 2021 NFL season after rupturing his Achilles tendon during a training camp practice.

Injuries continued for Lawson in 2023. He only played six games due to a back injury. Lawson had five tackles (two solo tackles and three assisted tackles).

In 74 games, Lawson has 119 combined tackles (69 solo tackles and 50 assisted tackles), 28 tackles for a loss, 107 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery for two yards, and 27 sacks. The fumble recovery came in a 19-3 Jets loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 22, 2022.

The Cowboys meanwhile were in need of a defensive player because outside linebacker Sam Williams of Montgomery, Alabama tore his anterior cruciate ligament during training camp. Williams played in 17 games for the Cowboys last season and had 26 combined tackles (15 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles), five tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hits, one safety, one forced fumble and 4.5 sacks. The safety came in a 43-20 Cowboys win over the Los Angeles Rams on October 29.

This was the second transaction the Cowboys made this week. On Thursday, the Cowboys acquired defensive lineman Jordan Phillips of Towanda, Kansas from the New York Giants with a seventh round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for a sixth round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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