The Dallas Cowboys will place the franchise tag on free agent defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence before Tuesday's 3 p.m. deadline, as expected.
They made no headway on a long-term deal following conversations with Lawrence's agent David Canter at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis over the weekend, per sources.
With no deal, the plan all along was to tag Lawrence while continuing to work on a long-term deal, ensuring that he will be with the Cowboys in 2018 one way or another following his breakout season with 14.5 sacks in 2017.
Vice president Stephen Jones said as much and owner Jerry Jones confirmed that the team was comfortable with paying Lawrence the tag number of $17.