Cowboys ex-edge rusher floated as realistic target for Bears to still sign in free agency

Cowboys ex-edge rusher floated as realistic target for Bears to still sign in free agency originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Bears are certainly going to add an edge rusher to their defensive unit, even if it means going out and signing a cheap free agent to try to rebuild his career.

There are a lot of players who fit that mold currently available, but one of them, Carl Lawson, could be a very intriguing name. Lawson already knows what it takes to play in big cities, appearing in games in 2022 and 2023 for the New York Jets.

He also played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, posting five sacks. Throughout his career, he’s posted at least five sacks in five of his eight seasons.

For those reasons and more, he’s being viewed as a legitimate free agency option in Chicago, and there’s reason to believe this type of deal could make sense if it’s cheap.

“Once a promising young edge rusher, Lawson’s career has been derailed by injuries. He spent the 2025 season with the Baltimore Ravens but played in just one game and didn’t post a sack.

“That said, it hasn’t been that long since Lawson was productive. He posted five sacks with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 and had seven two years before that with the New York Jets,” Mike Moraitis of SI wrote.

Not that it matters too much how much the Bears pay him, considering this will be a cheaper and shorter deal no matter what, and they still have some cap space to make things work, but he also might not be a bad guy to take a look at.

The former fourth-rounder out of Auburn has put together a nice little career for himself, and there are far worse options for the Bears to consider at this point.