All of this noise on Downs, but what about the other first-round pick, Malachi Lawrence?<\/p>\n
Selected with the No. 23 overall pick in April\u2019s draft out of UCF, Lawrence hasn\u2019t 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\u2019s a lot more for him to learn compared to what Downs understood coming in.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s getting better,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cThe big thing with Malachi is, smaller school (UCF), the first step speed and agility, it still flashes, but he\u2019s 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\u2019t [been in that].\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence has primarily worked with the second-team unit, as he\u2019s seen battles against Nate Thomas, Drew Shelton and other rotational tackles. With Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku<\/a> in front of him on the depth chart, he isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day is a little different for him,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cI love his first step quickness and I love the way he\u2019s setting the edge. I think he\u2019s going to be a guy that we\u2019re going to watch where he doesn\u2019t make the big leaps \u2014 like Caleb [Downs] where he just jumps off \u2014 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\u2019ll be ready to go come the regular season.\u201d<\/p>\n With the Cowboys<\/a> set to begin their preseason slate on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks, Lawrence is expected to see work despite most starters not suiting up<\/a> and Downs\u2019 workload to be determined in the coming days.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t finalized [the snap count],\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cBut I\u2019d imagine you\u2019ll see him play some in the preseason.\u201d<\/p>\n 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).<\/p>\n 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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n