Complicating this entire process has been the matter of Lawrence's shoulder, which currently requires surgery. He tore his labrum two years ago and has been battling with it ever since, revealing last October that the issue would need surgery at the end of the season.

However, Lawrence has delayed having surgery to this point in the offseason, presumably in an effort to increase his leverage in these contract negotiations. With a deal in place, the Cowboys will assuredly want to get their Pro Bowler into surgery as soon as possible, as the recovery time is expected to be several months.

Re-signing Lawrence is obviously a huge boost to the Dallas pass rush – but for more than just the obvious reasons. The Cowboys traded a sixth-round draft pick to Miami for Robert Quinn last week. At the time, there was speculation that the team was insuring itself against a Lawrence holdout, but now it's evident the Cowboys will be employing Pro Bowlers on both sides of their defensive line in 2019.

Lawrence unquestionably returns as one of the leaders of this defense for the foreseeable future. In addition to his Pro Bowl level of play, Lawrence established himself as a presence in the Cowboys' locker room by setting the tone for a pass rush that billed itself as the "Hot Boyz."

Now, all the primary components of that pass rush are back – in addition to Quinn, who has 69 career sacks to his name.