A month ago, it was a no-brainer for the Dallas Cowboys.

DeMarcus Lawrence was the spine of the defense, an undeniable “program guy” with two seasons of top level pass-rush production and a desire to spend his prime years playing for the only franchise he has ever known. All that stood in the way was ownership surrendering a unicorn contract on its best defensive player before March 5.

Would it be expensive? Certainly. But that’s the risk Dallas took a year ago, pushing negotiations beyond the expected contract extensions of Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack.

When teams wait to extend top-shelf talent in the NFL, the market around that player inevitably goes up. It’s what happened to Dallas with Lawrence, who could have been had more cheaply last offseason – before the Donald and Mack deals raised the salary floor for top defensive players. Instead, the Cowboys waited and cornered themselves into an offseason when there’s apparently not enough extension money to go around. In turn, Lawrence is now angry and insulted. Largely because Dallas started extension negotiations with a lower than expected opening offer that sent the message he was going to be headed for another franchise tag.

That tag came this week. And the “no-brainer” move of the offseason officially entered “no brains” territory.

Harsh? Maybe. The Cowboys made a succession of eyes-wide-shut decisions that have put them into an adversarial position against a player that is the epitome of what they supposedly want for the team’s culture.

Randy Gregory? The Cowboys know he isn’t remotely reliable.

David Irving? Has he even proven that he likes playing football? For two years, the franchise has kept both players in the fold, bending over backward in hopes they would get themselves together and make good on their considerable talents. All the while, Lawrence spent 2017 and 2018 refining himself into one of the top edge rushers in the NFL, while also earning his way into the leadership ranks of the team.

That is the guy a team bends over backward for. That is the guy a team is happy to pay. Not just because he’s the club’s best edge rusher and makes others around him better, but because he’s a pillar that a front office can continue to build around for the next five years. Unlike so many other unreliable players Dallas has paid in the past, Lawrence is one who actually helps create the Super Bowl window … not just take advantage of it.

View photos All signs point to a major payday on the horizon for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott . (Getty Images) More

This is something the Cowboys should have considered last offseason, when they knew it was likely going to have to address Dak Prescott’s contract and knew that Ezekiel Elliott would be looking for a big, fat raise. It’s also something the franchise should have considered when it acquired Amari Cooper and almost instantly started talking about a potential extension for him – before he’d even proven he deserved one down the stretch.

Players notice these realities. Particularly when they were tagged and denied free agency the previous offseason, and were wary of having to go through the whole ordeal again. The franchise tag, which Lawrence has not signed, is valued at $20.5 million for 2019. He played last year under the tag for $17.1 million

This all is likely going through Lawrence’s mind right now. The team can’t say enough good things about Prescott. It’s already acknowledging that it’s going to basically back up the Brinks truck for Elliott. And it’s in love with the idea of getting Cooper extended.

But Lawrence? Well hey, Dallas wants to eventually get his deal done, too. But it’s more than happy to use another franchise tag until it feels like the numbers suit the team. Meanwhile, Lawrence is more than likely going to sit out the entire offseason program and even delay his shoulder surgery until a deal gets done. And the longer that surgery gets delayed, the longer Lawrence's recovery eats into the months that follow. It isn’t the kind of thing Dallas’ defense can afford when so many other pass rush specialists are getting popped with indefinite league suspensions.

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