OXNARD, Calif.
Anyone with a pulse on what’s been going on at Dallas Cowboys training camp has probably heard Caleb Downs’ name multiple times since the team arrived in Southern California two weeks ago. The No. 11 overall pick has impressed his coaches on and off the field to the point of earning a trusted spot with the starting-11 on defense.
All of this noise on Downs, but what about the other first-round pick, Malachi Lawrence?
Selected with the No. 23 overall pick in April’s draft out of UCF, Lawrence hasn’t seen as much first-team work as Downs, but he has still made splash pass rush plays throughout camp. Entering his rookie season, head coach Brian Schottenheimer indicated that there’s a lot more for him to learn compared to what Downs understood coming in.
“He’s getting better,” Schottenheimer said. “The big thing with Malachi is, smaller school (UCF), the first step speed and agility, it still flashes, but he’s learning how to play a different defense. A few of these guys have played in a [Nick] Saban-type defense, which has ties to our 3-4 [scheme], gap-and-a-half, fallback, all of that stuff, Malachi really hasn’t [been in that].”
Lawrence has primarily worked with the second-team unit, as he’s seen battles against Nate Thomas, Drew Shelton and other rotational tackles. With Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku in front of him on the depth chart, he isn’t expected to win a starting job, but he seems to be in line to be the primary rotational pass rusher with a strong finish to camp.
“Every day is a little different for him,” Schottenheimer said. “I love his first step quickness and I love the way he’s setting the edge. I think he’s going to be a guy that we’re going to watch where he doesn’t make the big leaps — like Caleb [Downs] where he just jumps off — but Malachi is a guy I see getting better steadily every single day. You do that over the next four, five, six weeks, and I think he’ll be ready to go come the regular season.”
With the Cowboys set to begin their preseason slate on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks, Lawrence is expected to see work despite most starters not suiting up and Downs’ workload to be determined in the coming days.
“We haven’t finalized [the snap count],” Schottenheimer said. “But I’d imagine you’ll see him play some in the preseason.”
With Gary and Ezeiruaku leading the way in the outside linebacker room, Lawrence will be competing for snaps with James Houston (5.5 sacks in 2025), Sam Williams (one sack in 2025) and Marist Liufau (recently converted inside linebacker).
As a senior at UCF, Lawrence totaled seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss. A consistent riser throughout the draft process, Lawrence became a favorite of the Cowboys’ defensive coaching staff soon after they were hired and put in place. Ultimately, it ended with the Cowboys selecting Lawrence with one of the two first-round picks acquired in the Micah Parsons trade with Green Bay last August.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.