The Cowboys are looking in the direction of one former Jet as they try to bolster their defensive line.
Dallas is working out ex-Gang Green defensive end Carl Lawson on Thursday after edge rusher Sam Williams tore his ACL, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported on Wednesday night.
Lawson, 29, played the last two years with the Jets after signing a three-year, $45 million deal to join the team in the 2021 offseason.
After tearing his Achilles in August 2021, Lawson missed the entirety of his first year in New York.
In his return in 2022, the ex-Bengal posted seven sacks, 49 pressures, nine tackles for loss and a forced fumble while starting all 17 games for the Jets.
However, a back ailment limited Lawson entering 2023, who ended up playing in a diminished six games and not recording a sack.
In Lawson’s stead, head coach Robert Saleh relied more consistently on edge rushers like Jermaine Johnson, Bryce Huff, Micheal Clemons and Will McDonald.
Lawson, a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2017, has remained unsigned this offseason but could latch on to a team with training camp now underway, and the preseason beginning in earnest next week.
In fact, an incident in camp is what presumably sparked Dallas’ interest in Lawson.
On Sunday, it was reported that Williams suffered an ACL tear in practice.
The 25-year-old had posted back-to-back seasons of at least 22 pressures and four sacks behind the vaunted Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Although the Cowboys still field one of the most formidable edge rushing tandems in football, the depth behind them was rather thin, limited mostly to second-round rookie Marshawn Kneeland.
Williams’ injury was one of several considerable problems for Dallas in camp, with the looming issues including the holdout of star receiver CeeDee Lamb and the pending payday of top-tier quarterback Dak Prescott.
After finishing the 2023 season 12-5 but being upset by the Packers in the wild-card round, Dallas — which ushers in new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer — looks to make the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1995.
