Former NY Jets dud somehow shines in Cowboys' loss to Falcons

The NY Jets have not exactly been a home for free agent signings that seem to work out very well, and Carl Lawson was one of many who fell into that unfortunate category. Lawson never replicated the success he found with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Jets made the right call to send Lawson packing, as he was unable to play like the starter the team expected and would have been very expensive to retain. However, Lawson, who recently signed with the Dallas Cowboys in an attempt to give them more speed on the edge, may have played his best games in over a calendar year after the Jets cut him loose.

Lawson picked up two sacks (and forced a fumble) against Kirk Cousins in what became a 27-21 loss for Dallas. While there was no path to the Jets keeping Lawson around in 2024, he might be in danger of being added to the endless list of former Jets who seemingly figured it out elsewhere.

Former NY Jets pass rusher Carl Lawson dominates for Cowboys

Lawson's Jets career was already off on a bad foot before it even began, as he tore his Achilles soon after he signed with the team. While he managed to pile up seven sacks in 2022, the promotion of Bryce Huff and additions of Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald in the NFL Draft showed the team was not satisfied with his play.

Lawson featured in just a handful of games and didn't make much of an impact. After making just five tackles, it was clear the Jets needed to move on to a player with a higher ceiling. The move gave McDonald an avenue to take his big leap forward, while Lawson was a free agent for most of the year.

Lawson joined Dallas after a host of injuries to their defensive line. While he has looked borderline unplayable at times, games like this show that there is still a little bit of gas left in his tank despite the ravages of injuries and Father Time taking a bite out of him.

The Jets may have some defensive line issues, but few can argue with the decision to get rid of Lawson after what was a very tough end to his New York career. Still, it wouldn't surprise anyone if Dallas was able to get some productivity out of him after he couldn't do anything right with the Jets.