Lawrence was franchise tagged Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
As expected, the Cowboys are using the franchise tag on Lawrence while they continue negotiations on a long-term contract. There was never any real chance they'd let their top pass rusher get away, but that doesn't mean it will be easy to work out the details of a multi-year deal. After showing flashes his first three professional seasons, the 2014 second-round pick finally put together a dominant campaign in 2017, tallying 58 tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, albeit with most of that production coming in September and October.