Lawrence making presence felt with Seattle Seahawks

DeMarcus Lawrence turned 33 this spring and is entering his 12th NFL season.

But according to former NFL quarterback Brock Huard, the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

News and observations from Seahawks’ practice at Lumen Field

After attending Seattle Seahawks training camp this week, Huard raved about Lawrence, who signed a three-year, $40 million deal with Seattle in March following his standout 11-year run with the Dallas Cowboys.

In particular, Huard pointed to a few reps against starting right tackle Abraham Lucas.

“He just owned him,” Huard said during Friday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “He owned him on a run, he owned him on a screen, he owned him on a rush. And Abe Lucas is a good football player.”

Huard also echoed head coach Mike Macdonald’s recent comment that the 6-foot-3, 254-pound Lawrence plays and looks even bigger than his listed height and weight.

“When DeMarcus Lawrence runs by you or stands by you, you feel his presence,” Huard said. “… He does feel like a giant (with) his presence.”

Lawrence racked up 61.5 sacks and 97 tackles for loss over his 11 seasons with the Cowboys. Along the way, he established himself as one of the league’s best run-stopping defensive ends, posting a top-10 Pro Football Focus run defense grade at his position in four of the past six seasons.

The height of Lawrence’s career came in 2017 and 2018, when he combined for 25 sacks and 29 tackles for loss over a dominant two-year span.

But he’s still been productive in recent years, totaling 10 sacks and 19 tackles for loss over back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns in 2022 and 2023. He then stormed out of the gates for three sacks and four tackles for loss through the first four games last fall before missing the rest of the season with a foot injury.

Huard also pointed to veteran edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, who both experienced success past age 30 while playing for Baltimore in 2023, back when Macdonald was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. During that season, Clowney matched a career high with 9.5 sacks at age 30, while Van Noy posted a career-high nine sacks at age 32.

“If DeMarcus Lawrence could turn back the clock a little bit and be the guy he was two or three years ago, you could be looking at your double-digit sack guy and an absolute force and monster,” Huard said. “And oh by the way, I think this Macdonald scheme did that for Jadeveon Clowney (and) Kyle Van Noy back in Baltimore.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of the this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Lawrence making presence felt with Seattle Seahawks

Tags: