5 bold predictions for the Dallas Cowboys in 2018

4. DeMarcus Lawrence won’t get 10 sacks

Last season Lawrence was a dominant defensive end for the Cowboys. His 14.5 sacks caught the eye of everyone around the NFL. Unfortunately for Lawrence, that’s going to earn him a lot of double teams this season.

The problem for Lawrence is that he doesn’t have enough edge rushing help on this defense. David Irving was the team’s second leading sack artist last year, but his status is very much up in the air due to off the field issues. If he doesn’t make it back to play a full season, Lawrence will be suffocated by opposing offenses.

This prediction doesn’t mean that Lawrence won’t be effective. There’s something really valuable about a player who can command a double team on almost every snap. That’s not going to lend itself to him racking up sacks though.

Lawrence won’t be shut out of the sack category entirely, but a final total of somewhere around eight seems a lot more realistic for him this season. Ironically, that might help the Cowboys keep the talented defender around. If he posts another double-digit sack total he’s going to get very expensive in free agency. Look for Lawrence’s production to take a slight dip in 2018.