Carl Lawson
American football player (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carl Lawson (born June 29, 1995) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.
Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S.
Lawson with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 | |||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | June 29, 1995 Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Milton (GA) | ||||||||||
| College | Auburn (2013–2016) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2017: 4th round, 116th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
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Early life
Lawson attended Milton High School in Milton, Georgia. He had 87 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior and 78 tackles and 27 sacks his senior year. Lawson was a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked among the top recruits in his class.[1] He committed to Auburn University to play college football.[2]
College career
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄4 in (1.87 m) | 261 lb (118 kg) | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.67 s | 1.60 s | 2.67 s | 4.19 s | 7.46 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 35 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[7][8][9] | ||||||||||||
Cincinnati Bengals
Lawson was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round, 116th overall, in the 2017 NFL draft.[10] He played in all 16 games with one start, recording 16 tackles and 8.5 sacks. His 8.5 sacks finished second on the team behind Geno Atkins' 9.0 and first among all rookies, earning him a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.[11]
In 2018, Lawson played in eight games before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 8.[12] He was placed on injured reserve on November 5, 2018.[13]
New York Jets
On March 18, 2021, Lawson signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the New York Jets.[14] On August 19, during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers, Lawson went down with an apparent left leg injury. An MRI later confirmed that Lawson had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his left leg, ending his 2021 season.[15]
In 2022, he played in all 17 games and although he finished with 7 sacks and 49 quarterback pressures, he was not a consistent pass rush threat as he was with the Bengals.
In 2023, he struggled to get on the field after suffering a back injury in training camp. He appeared in 6 games and was declared inactive in 11 contests, while making 5 tackles and no sacks.
Dallas Cowboys
On August 19, 2024, Lawson signed with the Dallas Cowboys.[16] He was acquired to provide depth at the defensive end position after Sam Williams was lost for the season with a knee injury suffered early in camp. He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[17][18] He did no have a defined role in the defense until both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence missed significant time after Week 4. He was promoted to the active roster on October 9. In the final 13 games he recorded 5 sacks, 30 quarterback pressures, 9 tackles, one pass defensed and one forced fumble.
Baltimore Ravens
On October 23, 2025, Lawson signed with the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad.[19] He was released by the Ravens on December 9.[20] He appeared in one game and had one tackle.
Personal life
Lawson and Olympic discus thrower Rachel Dincoff began a relationship after meeting at Auburn University.[21]
Lawson's grand-uncle is sprinter Carl Lawson, who was selected to represent Jamaica at the 1972 Summer Olympics.[22]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sack | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2017 | CIN | 16 | 1 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | CIN | 7 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | CIN | 12 | 2 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | CIN | 16 | 11 | 36 | 18 | 18 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | NYJ | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | NYJ | 17 | 17 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | NYJ | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 74 | 31 | 119 | 69 | 50 | 27.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
