News: BTB: The Dallas Cowboys mid-season MVP has got to be DeMarcus Lawrence

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The defensive end has finally become what the team hoped he would be when they drafted him.

It’s pretty safe to say that the surprise of the season for the Dallas Cowboys has been its suddenly potent pass rush. Gallons of ink were spent this offseason lamenting the Cowboys inability to get to the passer, enough so that Jerry Jones longed for a “war daddy” to lead the charge. The Cowboys had been without a true “war daddy” since the departure of DeMarcus Ware. Turns out another DeMarcus was ready to take over this year. The Cowboys mid-season MVP has to be DeMarcus Lawrence. You can make the argument that he should be the NFL’s defensive MVP for the first half of the season.

Despite the SB Nation football sites mistakingly voting Calais Campbell as the mid-season defensive MVP, that award should have gone to Lawrence. He leads the league in sacks at 10.5 (.5 more than Campbell). Not only that, but Lawrence has accumulated 115 yards lost on his sacks, that’s over 40 yards more than the next closest player, Melvin Ingram. Lawrence is also tied for first in forced fumbles among defensive linemen with three, one more than Campbell. His two recovered fumbles is also tied for first among defensive linemen. That’s not even to mention the multitude of pressures and quarterback hits.

Simply put, Lawrence has been a beast this year. And his play is rubbing off on his linemates. David Irving has five sacks, Tyrone Crawford has four, and overall the Cowboys have 25 sacks. That ranks them fifth in the NFL.

The Cowboys have had some other outstanding performances this year. Dak Prescott, after a slow start, has cranked things up. Ditto Ezekiel Elliott who now ranks third in rushing yards in the NFL. Jourdan Lewis has been a real surprise gem as a rookie. And of course, Sean Lee is Mr. Everything when he’s playing, but his missed games have hurt his overall impact in the first half of the season.

For consistency, Lawrence has notched at least one sack in every game this season, and for impact, there’s no denying that DeMarcus Lawrence has been the Cowboys mid-season MVP.

Do you agree BTB? Or would you give the award to someone else?

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