Guiding NFL Sack Leader Tank Lawrence To A 'Cowboys For Life' Contract

FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - My man R.J. Choppy likes to joke that my interviews with Dallas Cowboys that air on 105.3 The Fan are all cases of "leading the witness.''

In the case of DeMarcus Lawrence and contract talk, I plead guilty.

Tank is leading the NFL with 8.5 sacks. And it is a contract year. And so the way I posed the question about his financial future - "You want to be a Cowboy next year and the year after that and the year after that'' -- barely even had a question mark at the end of it.

But that's in large part because I already knew the truthful answer Lawrence would give me.

That reply?

"We'll talk about that when the time comes,'' Tank said. "I'd love to be a Cowboy for the rest of my life."

And again, he's not just toeing the company line -- though he did half-jokingly note he'll "do whatever Jerry (Jones) says. Lawrence fully understands that his production is a combination of talent, system and maybe most of all, completely good health for about the first time in his NFL career since Dallas moved up in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft to nab the guy personnel boss Will McClay termed in pre-Draft evaluation "a QB hunter.''

"I've got a helluva D-Line,'' Lawrence said, believing that between the successful stunts he's run with tackle Maliek Collins and other pass-rushers getting double-teamed, "then their ass is mine.''

Lawrence suggested to me that contract discussions between him and the 2-3 Cowboys are not a priority now. Rather, the Cowboys -- who could opt to eventually use the franchise tag on Lawrence or try to lock him up to a long-term deal -- are focused on trying to jump to 3-3 with a win at San Francisco on Sunday,

That philosophy is fine with Tank.

"I'm just going to keep racking up my numbers, and we've just got to get the job done as a team,'' Lawrence said. "If the team wins, we all win. That's the main thing."