The Cowboys need their edge rushers to deliver in 2026, and Malachi Lawrence is walking into that conversation with plenty of buzz and a pretty tricky path to matching it.
Dallas is coming off a season with just 35 sacks, a number that fit the bigger picture of an ugly defensive year. So the front office reshuffled the edge group this offseason, bringing in Rashan Gary and Lawrence to join Donovan Ezeiruaku, Sam Williams, James Houston and Marist Liufau.
That’s the backdrop for Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay, who handed Lawrence a “bold” rookie projection of 22 tackles, five sacks and one forced fumble in 2026.
"Lawrence developed into a true game-wrecker during his stint at UCF, racking up 19.5 sacks over his final three seasons," Kay said of the rookie. "He possesses all the tools an edge defender needs to succeed in the pros, including ideal size, length and athleticism for the position."
"2026 Stat Prediction: 22 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble," Kay added.
Kay even said he wouldn’t be surprised if Lawrence ends up leading all rookies in sacks.
On paper, five sacks doesn’t sound like a monster ask. In reality, it could be a lot tougher than it looks. Lawrence is a first-round pick, but that doesn’t guarantee a heavy workload right away, and right now he appears to be at best the No. 3 edge rusher on the depth chart.
Assuming he’s fully recovered from hip surgery by the start of the season - and it looks like he will be - Ezeiruaku is set to start opposite Gary. That leaves Lawrence fighting for snaps with Williams and Houston.
Williams managed only one sack in 2025, but that came in his first year back from a torn ACL, and he has already shown he can produce 4.5 sacks in a season. Houston, meanwhile, was Dallas’ second-most productive edge rusher last season with 5.5 sacks.
The Cowboys would love for Lawrence to beat out both of them, but that’s not automatically how it goes. He’s still a wild card, and he’s also dealing with a steep learning curve in his first season. That includes adjusting to new techniques, a new role and a new playbook.
"It's been fun getting to learn a new playbook, new defense, new scheme kind of. I'm transitioning to more of an outside linebacker position than defensive end than I was at UCF in the 4-2-5," Lawrence said in May. "Learning the techniques, really."
Dallas is in win-now mode, so if Lawrence isn’t clearly performing at the level of Williams or Houston, it’s hard to picture the Cowboys forcing him into a major role just because of where he was drafted.
He does have one extra route to the field: he can move inside. That gives him more chances to contribute, but the same standard applies there too. If he wants more snaps, he still has to prove he’s the best option on the interior.
So yes, the projection is there. But for Lawrence to hit it, he’ll have to earn every bit of it.
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