Cowboys already spending 13% of cap on depleted edge rusher group

The defensive side of the ball for the Dallas Cowboys doesn’t boast the type of contract numbers dedicated to the offense. The large cap hits defensive ends command rings true, but the available options behind them are slim. A sneaky need for this team is that a counterpart opposite of star pass rusher Micah Parsons must be found.

But Dallas has been known to be frugal and overspending on a single position group doesn’t fit their approach to team building.

Dallas was built to put pressure on the quarterback to allow their ballhawk-type secondary to cash in on the disruption. No matter the changes this defense will undergo with Mike Zimmer taking the baton from Dan Quinn, applying pressure on the opposing quarterback is something all teams want to accomplish. The remaining pass-rush production behind Parsons needs attention, but at what cost?

DeMarcus Lawrence | Age: 31 | Cap Hit: $20,445,000 – 8.3% | UFA: 2025

Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has the largest cap number of all current Cowboys defenders. With a $10 million base salary and another $10.4 million in prorated bonus allocation, 8.3% of the cap goes to him alone. Before social media gets into another uproar about his worth, according to PFF, Lawrence had the second-highest rush defense grade amongst all edge rushers and tied for the eighth-highest overall grade at his position alongside Lions defensive end Aiden Hutchinson.

The Cowboys could lower his salary by extending him this offseason as he is in the final year of his contract. His Dallas future aside, Lawrence currently projects to count $7.4 million or 2.9% of the 2025 cap because the Cowboys added a void year to his contract to lower his past cap hits. An extension could allow the Cowboys to sprinkle that leftover money on top of any new money. No matter what, Dallas must account for that number in some capacity.

Micah Parsons | Age: 24 | Cap Hit: $5,434,479 – 2.2% | UFA: 2025

With his first three seasons completed, Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons and his representatives may negotiate a long-term contract. Dallas will undoubtedly exercise his fifth-year option by May. Doing so will add another year to his rookie deal. Since Parsons has multiple Pro Bowl honors under his belt, he qualifies for the highest tier which is projected to run just over $23 million in 2025.

With San Francisco’s Joey Bosa breaking the $30 million a year threshold, extending Parsons now to spread his massive cap hit with rookie years remaining may be prudent.

Dallas will have some leverage in negotiations along with a couple of options. With two more years of control, a third could be added by using the franchise tag, which guarantees the average of the top five salaries at the position. Doing so gives Dallas the added bonus of time.

The up-front money and guaranteed salary may be safer than risking injury while under the team’s control for the next three seasons.

Sam Williams | Age: 24 | Cap Hit: $1,697,524 – 0.7% | UFA: 2026

Cowboys defensive lineman Sam Williams has been a unique player who seemed to have even confused former Cowboys coordinator Dan Quinn on how to consistently employ him on defense. Williams played a season-high 34 snaps on defense twice in 2023, yet he only averaged 18 snaps a game in the regular season. His talent is so undeniable that the team has used him to cover punts among other special teams units. In fact, Williams has as many snaps on special teams (296) as on defense (306).

With a critical third year coming up, Williams no longer has any guaranteed money tied to his contract. His 0.7% of cap space is minimal making him a safe bet to make the roster. Consistency will be the name of the game for him in Year 3. While showing flashes is a good thing, Dallas needs someone to take the pressure off Parsons. Williams was a popular name when discussing players who could have a big year-two jump and the results came in lower than expected.

Chauncey Golston | Age: 25 | Cap Hit: $1,564,368 – 0.6% | UFA: 2025

Cowboys defensive lineman Chauncey Golston was placed with the defensive ends even though he resides primarily inside. Gholston may not show up on the stat sheet but his impact is apparent. The former third-round pick lined up all along the defensive line allowing Dallas to use different fronts. He also plays a good amount of special teams.

A new playing style often comes with personnel changes. The jack-of-all-trade options Golston provides should be of use to the new incoming defensive coordinator. His versatility eliminates the need for so many personnel moves giving the team time to learn and adjust to any growing pains a new system could bring.

Tyrus Wheat | Age: 24 | Cap Hit: $915,000 – 0.4% | RFA: 2025

When Dallas needed to make room on the 53-man roster, edge rusher Tyrus Wheat may have been a popular name to debate, yet he very quietly managed to suit up for 12 games. The undrafted rookie out of Mississippi State may have a few fans in the building and keeping him on the active roster prompts fears other teams have grown fond of him too. Wheat played mostly special teams during the year yet the option to not use him elsewhere was surprising.

Wheat worked with the off-the-ball linebackers in training camp but is listed as a defensive end. With a limited amount of snaps (34) on defense to fully determine, he lined up on the defensive line more than the position he worked on in training camp. With a minimal deal and a room short on secondary options, Wheat figures to get a chance, wherever they decide to use him.

Durrell Johnson | Age: 25 | Cap Hit: $795,000 – 0.3% | RFA 2026

Pass rusher and undrafted free agent Durrell Johnson managed to hang around all season long earning an opportunity for 2024. Dallas made some changes to their practice squad late in the season and with all of the turnover, the team’s stance on him stayed the same. That type of commitment suggests Johnson has quietly impressed the decision makers.

While probably not on everyone’s radar, Johnson may be one of those guys taken for granted. Keeping young players around in hopes of developing them is an investment and losing them to other teams is not a good business model. Landing a contributor from the free-agent market seems to be a regular occurrence for the Cowboys and Johnson could end up in that conversation.

Dorance Armstrong | Age: 26 | URFA: 2024

Feeling the effects of a void year are often overlooked and rarely discussed. That is the case for impending free agent Dorance Armstrong who will eat 0.6% or $1.5 million of space in 2024.

In Armstrong, Dallas had a player who gave them 446 snaps on defense in 2023 while also recording 34 pressures. Only two players currently in the defensive end room had more snaps than Armstrong and that usage was the third most of his career. Before automatically willing to hand him a contract, what was lost with his ascension should also be discussed.

Armstrong played in 605 snaps across all special teams units while on his rookie contract. After signing a two-year $12 million deal, Armstrong logged under 200 total snaps. His special teams’ duties were reduced to primarily rushing the opposing punter or kicker. With only so many available gameday roster spots, being available to play special teams should be calculated into the equation of bringing back Armstrong.

Defensive End Recap

Draft Capital spent:

1st Round (2021), 2nd Round (2014), 2nd Round (2022), 3rd Round (2021)

The Cowboys have spent a lot of draft capital for this room and the salary cap commitment has been equally as expensive.

The $32.3 million this group is scheduled to count eats up 13.1% of the cap. That number includes the Armstrong void year which will count no matter what. A Parsons extension would likely maintain or even lower his 2023 cap hit, but the future hits make it even more imperative the Cowboys find cost-effective solutions.

Finding capital to upgrade this group will be tough but necessary. Parsons had more pressures this season (103) than the remaining players combined in the room (90).

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire