Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence out 6-8 with broken foot

The Dallas Cowboys will be without their best defender for the foreseeable future. Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence left practice on Wednesday with an apparent foot injury and was listed as limited on the injury report but things are worse than they initially seemed.

Lawrence broke the fifth metatarsal and will require surgery. The earliest return for Lawrence is said to be six to eight weeks and the defense will have to hope he returns sooner than later after surrendering 31 points and over 400 yards in the season opener.

Lawrence is also the highest-paid player on the defense, set to make $17 million this year. Bursting onto the scene in 2017, Lawrence had 14.5 sacks and followed it up with another double-digit sack season in 2018 to earn himself a big extension. After earning the monster $105 million contract, the Boise State product has been possibly the one constant over recent years, being a consistent performer even if the sack count doesn’t show it.

In Week 1 vs. the Buccaneers, Lawrence had five quarterback pressures, earning a 91.4 PFF grade alongside a league-high 96.3 run defense grade. Lawrence looked every bit of the player who earned the big deal in 2019. With defensive end Randy Gregory potentially out on the COVID/Reserve list, Lawrence’s absence will be felt immediately against the Chargers, led by quarterback Justin Herbert.

Lawrence himself took to social media to clear the air.

For the time being, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have a large task in his first season to stop the bleeding following the injury. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong will likely fill his role but the defense will be without their vocal leader on the field for at least the next six weeks.

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