When the Seattle Seahawks signed 32-year-old DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency, the move was met with a chorus of skepticism. Was a player on the wrong side of 30, coming off a season where he played just four games for the Dallas Cowboys, really the answer?
DeMarcus Lawrence of the Seattle Seahawks
In Week 10, Lawrence didn’t just answer that question; he screamed it from the rooftops with a performance for the history books.
In a dominant first-half display against the Arizona Cardinals, the veteran edge rusher accomplished a feat so rare it had only been done three times in the NFL since 1948. He recovered two fumbles and returned both for touchdowns, single-handedly scoring 14 points and propelling the Seahawks to a massive 28-0 lead they would not relinquish.
The first touchdown came after linebacker Tyrice Knight sacked Cardinals QB Jacobe Brissett, popping the ball loose. Lawrence, with the instincts of a seasoned playmaker, scooped it and rumbled into the end zone. Then, in a moment of surreal déjà vu, the exact same sequence unfolded: a Knight sack, a forced fumble, and another Lawrence recovery and return for a score.
For Cowboys fans, the sight had to be a painful one. This was the same Cardinals team that had just handed Dallas a devastating loss in Week 9, a defeat that may have crippled their playoff hopes. Watching a player they let walk away essentially end their season one week and then make history the next is a brutal twist of fate.
But in Seattle, Lawrence is being hailed as a revelation. His impact, however, stretches far beyond one spectacular half of football. While his four sacks through Week 10 represent his best total since 2022, his true value has been as an elite run-stopper—a glaring weakness for his former team, which currently ranks 25th in the NFL against the run. In his first seven games with the Seahawks, Lawrence racked up an impressive 14 run stuffs, providing the backbone for a very stout Seattle defense.
The signing of DeMarcus Lawrence was a gamble. Today, it looks like a stroke of genius. He’s not just a productive veteran; he’s a defensive weapon making game-changing plays and proving that some stars burn even brighter in their thirties. For the 12s in the Pacific Northwest, he’s a gift that keeps on giving.