ORLANDO – Speaking Wednesday from the Pro Bowl, Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence told reporters that he expects to have offseason surgery on his shoulder.
"I don't have the timetable right now of when it's going to happen," he said. "I'm just waiting on the doctor when I get back to tell me when he's available."
In October, Lawrence told reporters he aggravated an old labrum injury in Week 5 against the Texans. His shoulder briefly popped out of place when he hit Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, but he was able to finish the game.
He appeared in all 18 games this season, including the Cowboys' playoff matchups against the Rams and Seahawks.
Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods had labrum surgery last week and is expected to return to football activities later in the offseason. Clearly, Lawrence's shoulder isn't affecting his participation in this week's Pro Bowl – or the Cowboys' intention to work out a long-term deal with their star pass rusher.
Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Tuesday that negotiating a new deal for the 26-year-old Lawrence is a "huge priority" this offseason.
"We want to sign him up long term," Jones said.
This is Lawrence's second straight Pro Bowl appearance, having tallied 25 total sacks the last two seasons. In 2018 he played on a one-year franchise tag worth a guaranteed $17.1 million.
He wants to be a Cowboy for many years ahead.
"I got big goals not just for me but for us as a team and as an organization," he said. "So I feel freely to tell the organization, I love being a Cowboy. And I love playing hard."
