Defensive end Carl Lawson reached free agency for the first time after the 2020 season, during which he had recorded 5.5 sacks and 32 quarterback hits, the second-most in the NFL, for the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Auburn standout inked a three-year, $45 million contract with the New York Jets on the first day of the signing period.

Lawson reached free agency for the second time after the 2023 season, during which he had recorded no sacks and no quarterback hits while playing in six games for the Jets. He signed a one-year, $1.125 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys after the preseason schedule had started.

Unless the Cowboys re-sign him, Lawson will become an unrestricted free agent for the third time at 3 p.m. CDT March 12.

“This is the year where I feel like I’m going to have my biggest jump going into the next season, if that makes sense,” Lawson said. “I don’t think it was the best season because I didn’t play the first two games. I had to get caught up in speed, and I got better. But then again, we weren’t necessarily up in games a lot, so it wasn’t the best season.

“But I’m more confident about going into the following season than any other season that I had before because now I know what to do. I know what I need to work on. I know how to work on those things, so it’s only going to happen inevitably. It’s just, you know, just don’t know when and where and all that other stuff.”

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During the 2024 season, Lawson had five sacks and 15 quarterback hits while playing 401 defensive snaps in 15 games, with three starts. He also was on the field for 74 special-teams plays, the most since his rookie season in 2017.

“I think this was a great year for me, just to prove that I’m still the same guy, the same caliber guy,” Lawson said. “I think the most important thing is to continue with ascension. It wasn’t like, oh, come out of the gates hot. And then the film that I did put out there against top-tier opponents as the season was going on, it was really, really good, so I just established myself.

“And now I get to go into the offseason and progress and become even better, so I’m excited for that.”

Lawson said he came a long way during the 2024 season.

“Last year, I didn’t really play,” Lawson said. “And, like, last year not playing, plus a little bit of an injury, then having to come in late to camp, it’s just like you’re basically just starting from scratch. People think that you just have it all together. And then you’re learning a new defense. So, yeah, I think I just credit my work ethic and knowing what my talents are. You see the continued progression.”

Lawson’s yearly sack totals in the NFL have been 8.5, one, five, 5.5, seven, zero and five.

“I’ve failed a multitude of times, and I’ve succeeded a multitude of times,” Lawson said. “So now I just want to be consistently on the rise because, like, I know I have scary potential as a football player. I know I put it on. It’s just having that consistently and then being able to just put that out there, so I’m really excited for the work that I’m going to put in this offseason.”

After winning 12 regular-season games three years in a row, the Cowboys dropped to a 7-10 showing in 2024. Dallas will have a new head coach in 2025, with Brian Schottenheimer stepping up from offensive coordinator, and a new defensive coordinator, with Matt Eberflus coming in after spending the past three seasons as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.

Lawson said he would “100 percent” like to stay with the Cowboys.

“The winning part of it wasn’t what I wanted,” Lawson said. “But as far as bonding in the NFL, this definitely was my best season of doing that with teammates.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.