Shaq Lawson‘s second stint with the Bills has earned him an extended stay in Buffalo. The veteran defensive end is re-signing on a one-year deal, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Lawson, 28, began his career with the Bills, spending four productive if uninspiring seasons with the team. He notched a career-high 6.5 sacks in the final year of his rookie contract, which helped earn him a three-year, $30M deal with the Dolphins in 2020. That pact could have provided the opportunity for continued career ascension, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.
The former first-rounder spent only one season in Miami and was dealt to the Texans. Before having played in Houston, however, Lawson was traded back into the AFC East and joined the Jets in 2021. While logging a significant workload, he managed only a single sack in New York, leading to his release before the season’s end. That move left his future uncertain, but a return to his original home proved to be an effective move.
Lawson inked a one-year contract last March to head back to Buffalo, where he spent much of the season in a rotational role. After the season-ending injury suffered by Von Miller, however, Lawson stepped took on a larger workload. He ended up starting six regular season games, along with both of the Bills’ playoff contests. He managed 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks, numbers which have allowed him to retain his spot as a valued member of the team’s edge rush group.
While Miller continues to recover at the start of the 2023 campaign, Buffalo will look to recent draftees Gregory Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Carlos Basham for much of their pass-rushing production. Lawson will look to continue in the role he had to finish out last season while providing depth at the position for a unit that will be without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier this year. Another season with decent production could earn him yet another Bills pact, or boost his stock for a move elsewhere.
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