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Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Malachi Lawrence

For rookie first-round picks entering the NFL, the CBA’s scale contracts are a blessing and a curse. They’re a blessing because they really take all the guesswork out of negotiating a deal, and have put the days of first-rounders and their agents engaging in full-on combat with the teams that drafted them well into the past. But they’re a curse because they leave incoming players with little leverage. Yet, it appears, Cowboys No. 23 overall pick Malachi Lawrence is trying to put the squeeze on that leverage.

Lawrence is the only one of the Cowboys draft picks that has not yet signed his contract. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that there isn’t much for Lawrence and the team to grapple about, because the CBA has already set his scale contract. All that can be negotiated, as happened last year with Bengals first-round pick is the language around guarantees.

There’s still time for the Cowboys and Lawrence to get a deal done–he can participate in OTAs without a contract, though not in training camp–but the fact that it hasn’t happened yet is something of a concern.

Cowboys Not Concerned Over Contract … Yet

Still, it is too early to project a possible holdout for Lawrence, and it would not be clear what he was holding out for. He participated in rookie camp and has been at Cowboys team workouts.

Here’s how Kurt Daniels of DallasCowboys.com paints the situation: “There are specific restrictions set within the Collective Bargaining Agreement on how much each rookie can make, based on his draft position. … However, there are a few items that can be negotiated, such as guaranteed money.

“Which is where the Cowboys and Lawrence stand right now, although they’re not alone. Around the league, 15 of the top 21 overall picks have signed, but none of the rookies selected lower in the first round (Nos. 22-32) have inked a deal. Even though they basically have no leverage, they’re all waiting to see how things play out. Once one signs on the dotted line, the other dominoes should quickly fall.”

Big Role Ahead for Malachi Lawrence?

Again, if Lawrence is simply planning to sign without making any additional asks of the Cowboys, the question remains: Why not just sign now? Until he puts pen to paper, it will be worth monitoring where things stand.

And, certainly, the Cowboys have big plans for Lawrence. He probably won’t start at edge for the team, but he figures to be a critical role player at a position where the depth is in question. Rashan Gary will start on one side and second-year man Donovan Ezeiruaku is likely man the other side, but even in the case of Ezeiruaku, the expectation is he will need a jump in production this year.

Behind them, it is open competition among players with big questions marks–Sam Williams, James Houston, Marist Liufau, Tyrus Wheat. The Cowboys would really like to see Lawrence beat out those players on the depth chart. He just needs to sign first, of course.