Crawford is eager to get back on the field
FRISCO — As his teammates were practicing in Oxnard, Calif., defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford would calmly walk onto the practice fields alongside DeMarcus Lawrence and get to work.
Each day under the California sun, Crawford would move in rhythm with his teammate as they worked on their conditioning to pass the necessary physical tests.
This week, Crawford passed all the tests and was cleared to practice fully, getting him closer for the regular season opener Sept. 8 against the New York Giants.
“DeMarcus and I worked out the whole offseason and throughout training camp and pushed each other extremely hard,” Crawford said. “And in the lights with everybody watching and outside of it, we were just grinding and trying to get right, and I feel like we did a good job of that.”
Crawford suffered a midseason hip injury in 2018 that went away once the season ended. But it stubbornly returned during offseason workouts, sidelining Crawford at the start of camp.
So all he had were these workouts with Lawrence in the back of the practice fields, or sometimes in between them. He slowly walked off the fields once practice ended, greeting a few fans and family members.
Crawford’s patience was tested this summer because he wanted to practice and participate in a preseason game.
“It’s always good to get your preseason snaps in, but I feel really comfortable in games,” he said. “I feel comfortable with the guys I play with. We know each other extremely well, and that’s the most important thing, is getting comfortable with that. We got that. I’ve been with these guys a long time.”
Crawford is an important cog in defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s line rotation, which was boosted by the offseason acquisition of end Robert Quinn, the drafting of tackle Trysten Hill and end Joe Jackson, and the free agent signing of Christian Covington.
Crawford has become one of Marinelli’s disciples. Last year, he finished third overall on the team with 5½ sacks, was tops with four pass deflections, and was tied for second with 27 quarterback hurries.
To play for Marinelli, hustling at all times is a requirement, and that’s what Crawford does. Whether he’ll get to do that at the start of 2019 is in question.
Crawford has yet to speak to NFL officials about possible discipline concerning a spring bar fight.
According to police reports obtained by the Dallas Morning News, Crawford was in a Florida bar when a fight broke out between patrons and security personnel.
An officer who was working offduty security at the bar said both sides “were both aggressors in this altercation.” Surveillance footage was viewed by authorities, but police said they couldn’t determine what initiated the dispute because it took place in a blind spot to cameras.
Crawford agreed last month to enter a diversion program to settle a misdemeanor charge.
Every NFL player who gets arrested or charged with a crime is subject to the league’s personal conduct policy.
“I handled the situation to the best of my abilities and did what I had to do with that situation and just try to put it past me and put my focus on football,” Crawford said Thursday. “I can’t really speak on it too much. I’m going to let God handle it and, however it works out, hopefully (the NFL) will see my side.”
Whenever Crawford returns to the field, he’ll be welcomed by a Cowboys defense looking to take the next step in 2019.
“The last game (I played) was a bad game,” Crawford said, alluding to the NFC divisional round loss to the Rams. “That’s the last time I was actually able to put on the pads and play against offensive linemen and another team. So I’m excited, man, extremely excited to get going, and just the way this defense is balling, I want to be balling with them.”