Dallas plans to "shut down'' the injured DeMarcus Lawrence for the year, ending not only his season but quite possibly his run as a member of the Cowboys.
FRISCO - Up until recently, there were optimists inside The Star in Frisco who swore that the foundational standout DeMarcus Lawrence was on the verge of a return to the roster so he could create on-field havoc for a late playoff push.
As the days marched on, they seemed increasingly wrong. And Lawrence increasingly seemed like he might be at the end of the line. And now here we are. ...
Lawrence, who will be 33 in April, has a history of playing hurt, and he has reasons to want to push his way back onto the field now. He's been a $20 million APY player and now his contract is about to expire. So in addition to wanting to help his 6-8 Cowboys team success, he'd also like to close the season by putting out positive film.
But 105.3 The Fan is reporting that Dallas plans to "shut down'' Lawrence for the year, ending not only his season but quite possibly his run as a member of the Cowboys.
According to a Monday update from head coach Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys are not planning to have Lawrence this week when they play host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Sunday Night Football.'' This report is a logical extension of what McCarthy noted.
"They tried their best to get him back. There was a couple times where I was passing by the field, watching him, and I felt like [he was working hard with Cowboys trainer Britt Brown). ... But they just couldn't get that (foot) where it needed to be, and it wasn't worth the risk for them going forward," The Fan's Brian Broaddus said.
Lawrence has been out since sustaining a foot injury in the Week 4 win over the New York Giants in September. Shortly after that Lawrence was moved to IR.
Lawrence when healthy is a playmaking force (with 61.5 sacks over the last 11 seasons) and a team leader as well. He could not quite help his team now, though, so many he can help himself for later as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season - while vowing to not bother with retirement consideration.
