Carl Lawson (American football)

Carl Lawson (born June 29, 1995) is an American professional football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.

Carl Lawson
refer to caption
Lawson with the Bengals in 2017
No. 55 – Dallas Cowboys
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1995-06-29) June 29, 1995 (age 29)
Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:Milton (GA)
College:Auburn
NFL draft:2017 / round: 4 / pick: 116
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:119
Sacks:27.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Lawson attended Milton High School in Milton, Georgia. He had 87 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior and 78 tackles and 27 sacks his senior year. Lawson was a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked among the top recruits in his class.[1] He committed to Auburn University to play college football.[2]

College career

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As a true freshman at Auburn in 2013, Lawson had 20 tackles and four sacks. He missed his sophomore year in 2014 due to a torn ACL.[3][4] In 2015, Lawson played in only seven games in his junior season due to injuries, recording 17 tackles and one sack.[5][6]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+34 in
(1.87 m)
261 lb
(118 kg)
31+12 in
(0.80 m)
10+38 in
(0.26 m)
4.67 s 1.60 s 2.67 s 4.19 s 7.46 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)
9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)
35 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7][8][9]

Cincinnati Bengals

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Lawson was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round, 116th overall, in the 2017 NFL draft.[10] He played in all 16 games with one start, recording 16 tackles and 8.5 sacks. His 8.5 sacks finished second on the team behind Geno Atkins' 9.0 and first among all rookies, earning him a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.[11]

In 2018, Lawson played in eight games before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 8.[12] He was placed on injured reserve on November 5, 2018.[13]

New York Jets

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On March 18, 2021, Lawson signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the New York Jets.[14]

On August 19, 2021, during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers, Lawson went down with an apparent left leg injury. An MRI later confirmed that Lawson had suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in his left leg, ending his 2021 season.[15]

Dallas Cowboys

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On August 19, 2024, Lawson signed with the Dallas Cowboys.[16] He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[17][18] He was promoted to the active roster on October 9.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sack Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2017 CIN 16 1 16 10 6 8.5 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 CIN 7 0 6 4 2 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 CIN 12 2 23 17 6 5.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 CIN 16 11 36 18 18 5.5 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0
2021 NYJ 0 0 Did not play due to injury
2022 NYJ 17 17 33 18 15 7.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1 2 0
2023 NYJ 6 0 5 2 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 74 31 119 69 50 27.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 2 0

References

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  1. ^ "Rivals.com Carl Lawson". rivals.com. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "Tennessee recruiting notebook: 5-star defensive end Carl Lawson sticking with Auburn". nooga.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  3. ^ "Auburn's Carl Lawson healthy, eager to hit somebody". al.com. August 5, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  4. ^ Ellis, Zac. "Auburn's Carl Lawson plans to make up for lost time in 2015". si.com. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "Finally healthy, Auburn's Carl Lawson is ready to dominate". April 20, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  6. ^ "Auburn's Carl Lawson eager for healthy, productive season". timesfreepress.com. Chattanooga Times Free Press. July 19, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  7. ^ "Carl Lawson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Scout Carl Lawson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "Carl Lawson 2017 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Toback, Rebecca (April 29, 2017). "2017 NFL Draft picks: Bengals select Auburn defensive end Carl Lawson in Round 4, pick 116". CincyJungle.com. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  11. ^ "2017 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Terrell, Katherine (October 28, 2018). "Bengals DE Carl Lawson out for season with torn ACL". ESPN.com.
  13. ^ "Bengals put Carl Lawson on IR, promote Auden Tate, sign Clark Harris to extension". CincyJungle.com. November 5, 2018.
  14. ^ Allen, Eric (March 18, 2021). "Jets Sign Edge Rusher Carl Lawson". NewYorkJets.com.
  15. ^ "Jets DE Carl Lawson suffers ruptured Achilles in practice, will miss 2021 season". NFL.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  16. ^ Patra, Kevin (August 15, 2024). "Cowboys signing edge rusher Carl Lawson". NFL.com.
  17. ^ Walker, Patrik (August 27, 2024). "2024 Cowboys Roster: Carl Lawson, Kemon Hall, 4 RBs included in roster trimming". DallasCowboys.com.
  18. ^ Walker, Patrik (August 28, 2024). "Carl Lawson, Dalvin Cook headline list of Dallas Cowboys' practice squad signings". DallasCowboys.com.
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