FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys placing the franchise tag on defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is not surprising.
The Cowboys had a cordial meeting with Lawrence's agent, David Canter, at the NFL scouting combine last week in Indianapolis and made an offer, but the two sides never took a deep dive into working out a long-term deal for the Pro Bowl defensive end.
As a result, Lawrence will count $17.143 million against the 2018 cap when free agency begins next week, a significant amount of space that makes a deal with right guard Zack Martin much more important and a deal with linebacker Anthony Hitchens that much more difficult.