Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence reportedly broke his right foot during practice and is expected to miss 8 to 10 weeks.

Lawrence was the first defensive selection for the Cowboys, as they selected Zack Martin No. 16 overall. Lawrence played very well at Boise State. In his two seasons with the Broncos, he recorded 20 sacks and 120 tackles. This was supposed to be a huge pickup for the Cowboys, especially considering they released longtime great DeMarcus Ware. It's unlikely Lawrence was going to be as effective as Ware at the defensive end, but this isn't a good start.

By now, everybody is fully aware of just how awful this defense is. Last season, the Cowboys ranked last overall in total defense, 30th in pass defense, and 27th in rush defense. The Cowboys allowed a league high 6,645 yards last season, which was the third most in NFL history. The only two teams to allow more yards were the 1981 Baltimore Colts who allowed 6,793 yards and the 2012 New Orleans Saints who allowed 7,042 yards.

As previously stated, the Cowboys are now without Ware, who was one of their greatest defenders ever. Although he lost a step, he did have six sacks last year and he's not coming back. Another huge loss was linebacker Sean Lee. Lee is very familiar with injuries, but last season he played in 11 games. Lee isn't just a talented linebacker, he's the quarterback of the defense. Lee was placed on injured reserve after he tore his ACL in organized team activities and is expected to miss the entire season.

Another player that we must keep into account is Jason Hatcher. He had a breakout season last year with a team leading 11 sacks. Unfortunately for America's Team, he is no longer with the team. He chose to join their arch division rivals, Washington Redskins.

With Ware, Lee, and Hatcher all not contributing to the Cowboys this season and Lawrence now out for at least two month, the offense is going to have to play better than ever. Quarterback Tony Romo (who is coming off back surgery) is going to have to play like the league's MVP and Dez Bryant must stop dropping balls in crunch time. Even then, it still may not be enough.

For Lawrence, he can't rush things. He's just 22 years old and there's no reason for him to come back too early, especially in a bad situation. The Cowboys have no realistic Super Bowl expectations this season, so it would be wise for him to watch for a minimum of two months and heal up. He can learn a great deal by watching from sidelines and studying the playbooks.

Without a doubt, Lawrence will miss all four preseason games. In all likeness he will miss the first four regular season games against the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Saint Louis Rams, and the New Orleans Saints.

FOR MORE NFL NEWS, TRADE AND FREE AGENCY UPDATES, CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VISIT LATIN POST.COM'S SPORTS PAGE.

For up-to-date sports news, scores, and more, follow Latin Post Sports on Twitter