NFL veteran pass rusher Carl Lawson signed a new contract with the New York Jets. A key piece to the Cincinnati Bengals front in recent years, Lawson hit the open market for the first time in free agency.
Source: The #Jets agree to terms with #Bengals pass-rusher Carl Lawson.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2021
Carl Lawson, New York Jets, Agree to Contract
Once again, Carl Lawson went on to quietly have an extremely productive year in 2020 for the Bengals. The pass rusher posted 5.5 sacks in a career-high 16 games. In fact, it was the first time Lawson became a featured starter, making a career-high 11 starts this past season. He totaled career highs in total tackles with 36, and a fantastic 32 quarterback hits. In a year with few bright spots for Cincinnati, Lawson certainly was one. He was the 14th highest graded edge defender per PFF out of 112 qualifyings and even earned an 84.9 pass-rushing grade. Of course, he is not the biggest name on the free agent market. However, Lawson certainly deserves more credit for his ability.
In his four-years in the NFL, Lawson has been extremely effective as a rusher. He posted his career-high in sacks as a rookie with 8.5, though injuries limited him to six sacks in 19 games over the next two seasons. Again, Lawson took a feature role for the first time this past season. A large part is because of injuries, as well as him being an average-at-best run defender. There is also the matter he was part of a deep Bengals front that included the likes of Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard too.
In 2021, Lawson will only be 26-years-old and hungry to have his breakout season. He fits the bill as a traditional 4-3 edge, given his 6-2 and 265lbs. build. A fourth-round selection back in 2017, the Auburn product will look to improve upon his run defense in order to earn the recognition he deserves. Every year young, effective pass rushers get paid because of how rare they are in the game. And there was no way Lawson was going to walk away with a minimum deal this offseason.
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