The 2026 NFL Draft will award compensatory picks to teams that lost top free agents from last year’s class. That includes the Dallas Cowboys, who saw DeMarcus Lawrence sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
Original Terms of DeMarcus Lawrence leaving in free agency
The Cowboys received a fifth-round pick for letting Lawrence walk. That was number 177 overall pick in the draft.
What did the Cowboys do with the compensatory pick from DeMarcus Lawrence?
The Cowboys used the selection in their first-round trade up package for Caleb Downs.
How was DeMarcus Lawrence’s performance for the Seahawks in 2025?
Lawrence was a key contributor for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
He played and started in 16 games, recording 53 tackles, six sacks, and three fumble recoveries, two of which went for touchdowns. It was a career year for Lawrence, who also made his fifth career Pro Bowl. After 11 years with the Cowboys, Lawrence proved that he still can be an elite defender in the league. Without him, the Seahawks may not have won the Super Bowl.
Should the Cowboys have re-signed Lawrence?
Lawrence only played in four games for the Cowboys in his final season with the team in 2024 due to injury. It wasn’t a surprise to see them let him walk in free agency. His efforts with the Seahawks in 2025 proved that the Cowboys made a mistake. Had Lawrence played for the Cowboys this season, he would have ranked second on the team in sacks behind Jadeveon Clowney. The addition of Clowney happened partially due to Lawrence’s departure, so he may have been their sack leader for the season.
What is a compensatory pick?
Compensatory picks are awarded to teams that suffer a net loss of qualifying free agents during the previous year’s free agency period. So 2026 NFL Draft compensatory picks are awarded due to free agents lost in 2025.
Then those players are ranked on the amount of salary, playing time, and a bunch of other criteria and slotted into the end of rounds three through seven.
