During DeMarcus Lawrence's rookie year with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, the then 22-year-old remembers being in the locker room and being taken aback by being in the same place as Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo.

That story then came full circle this offseason when he was acquired by Seattle during free agency. Byron Murphy II, a DeSoto, Texas native, which is a suburb of Dallas, grew up watching Lawrence, who also happened to be his dad's favorite player. Murphy was 12 years old during Lawrence's rookie season.

"We have to remind ourselves a lot of these guys watched me growing up, so, it's kind of surreal [to them] to see me still out here performing the way I'm performing," Lawrence said. "But also, in general, even being on a field with them, so it's like, 'Dang, that's crazy. Like, D Law is here with me.'"

Lawrence spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys before becoming an important fixture in Seattle's defense in just one season. His work ethic, experience and talent have helped him succeed in his first year in Seattle.

"The football player, the traits of how he plays is what we expected," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "Coming in being a rugged, dominant, disruptive player on early downs. Then how he rushed the passer in terms of setting other people up in pass rush games, things like that, that's consistent, which is great, those are all great things… I just really appreciate the person that he is every day and the competitor he is."

Defensive coordinator Aden Durde said, "He's a great football player that the ball finds him. He makes plays. He plays the game the way it's meant to be played."

That competitive nature shows up in something some could treat as mundane task-like drills. When Lawrence practices, he practices intensely and intently, treating even those drill reps with the same importance as a team period of practice.

"For a guy of his pedigree, you would think he might want to take a little break," Boye Mafe said. "But he knows that to continue and maintain his production, that's what it takes. And that's what you see from him."

Lawrence said he knows the players take encouragement from watching him perform at the level he does at this point in his career.

"I might as well get better," he said is what players think. "If he's 33 and still doing it at this speed, I still got more growth. So, I feel like it's encouraging, but also, it's important to me to be amongst a group of guys like this."

His work ethic shines through this far into his career and is a huge reason for his success this season, one that includes a Pro Bowl nod, the fifth of his career.

"If you were to slice a pie, I'd say that's a big part of the pie," Macdonald said on his work ethic. "Part of the message to the guys today in team meetings is you've got to have an elite process. The great ones do, the great teams do, and you're always attacking how you can make that process just a little bit better all the time. You don't have to reinvent anything, you don't have to, 'Okay, today I try hard, tomorrow, no.' Every day is just the same mental approach, that's what D-Law (DeMarcus Lawrence) does. It's a great example for the guys."

Durde added, "I think it impacts the whole defense, not just the young guys. When people play that hard, it's contagious. When you put the work in day after day, I know Mike (Macdonald) said it to you guys, and I said it to you guys, but he practices like that. He goes through individuals like that. When you put that work in, and guys see that on the outcome on the field, they do it. He's had a huge impact on this defense, and he just needs to keep doing it."

Lawrence finished the regular season with three fumble recoveries, two of which he returned for touchdowns in Week 10 that earned him an NFC Defensive Player of the Week award. He also had 53 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and 20 quarterback hits.

Another reason for his success has been what Lawrence describes as an "alignment" both on the field and in his personal life.

"[This season] helped me understand what alignment means. Being aligned off the field with your personal life, but also, just being aligned in general. A lot of things don't work in people's lives because they're not aligned in the right situation or they're not aligned, physically or spiritually. And in that case, I just feel more aligned out here, just understanding my window of opportunity is short. If you really wanted to understand what I meant by not being able to win in Dallas, that's what I meant. My window of opportunity is short. I'm here, but also, what do I do? Do I sit on the sideline and wait, or do I still go and chase my dream and, that's why I'm here."

Late in December, Lawrence stood at the podium at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center and said when he signed with the Seahawks, he said he expected to be part of a Super Bowl team. He then later jokingly declared that he knew Seattle would be a Super Bowl contender because all they were missing was, "a couple of key weapons."

Those weapons? A quarterback and himself.

"I looked at the roster before I even signed here," he said. "I knew a couple of names on the team and what Mike Macdonald was doing with this defense was already special. I just wanted to be a part of it."

Lawrence said joining Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, Josh Jobe, Riq Woolen, who he played with in the Pro Bowl with in 2022, Coby Bryant, Ernest Jones IV, Derick Hall, Boye Mafe and the younger defensive line was a "perfect opportunity."

"All the pieces coming together… But it was like, it's a perfect opportunity to come in and be with an elite group of guys and that's what I wanted."

And now, Lawrence is preparing to play in a divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday and is part of a team that is in fact a Super Bowl contender.

"We're stacked from the top to the bottom of our depth chart," Lawrence said. "It was the offseason signing. Shoot, our rookie class that came in. All the pieces that we needed John (Schneider) and our head coach found a way to make it happen."

In the locker room, on the field and throughout the halls of the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, you would never know that Lawrence was a player that just began his journey with Seattle in March. He's been so engrained into who the Seahawks are, specifically the defense.

"His influence is that he's just Law (DeMarcus Lawrence)," Durde said. "He's nuts, he has fun and he goes hard as he can. That energy is infectious throughout the game."

He added, "you can see" Lawrence's impact on the defense. "Just the way the front plays, and it's not just him. It's Leo (Leonard Williams), it's Byron (Murphy II), it's J-Reed (Jarran Reed), D-Hall (Derick Hall), Boye (Mafe), Chenna (Uchenna Nwosu). All those guys feed off one another. He's had two forced fumbles where the ball is past him, he comes back and he makes the play. When you do that, you see other guys celebrate with him. They appreciate that work. They appreciate that someone's willing to do that for them to be successful. Those things allow people to believe that it is infectious."

When Lawrence was in Dallas, Durde was his defensive line coach from 2021-2023 and was a "big part" in Lawrence's decision to come to Seattle.

"Just trusted him, as a brother, as a coach," Lawrence said.

Durde's compelling pitch and Lawrence's trust in him helped set Lawrence up to have a chance to get what he wanted and give the 12-year vet an opportunity to feel harmonized so many years into his career.

"It's more aligned for me personally to succeed here and it's all coming to fruition," Lawrence said.

Durde said, "I'm so happy for him and so proud of him."