Carl Lawson (born June 29, 1995) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.
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. He committed to Auburn University to play college football.
College career As a true freshman at Auburn in 2013, Lawson had 20 tackles and four sacks. He missed his sophomore year in 2014 due to a torn ACL. In 2015, Lawson played in only seven games in his junior season due to injuries, recording 17 tackles and one sack.
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals Lawson was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round, 116th overall, in the 2017 NFL draft. 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.
In 2018, Lawson played in eight games before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 8. He was placed on injured reserve on November 5, 2018.
New York Jets On March 18, 2021, Lawson signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the New York Jets. 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.
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. 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. He did not 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. He was released by the Ravens on December 9. 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.
Lawson's grand-uncle is sprinter Carl Lawson, who was selected to represent Jamaica at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles 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 0Career 74 31 119 69 50 27.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 2 0
References
External links
Auburn Tigers bio