Shaq Lawson went under the knife and will miss some some of the upcoming season. While the Buffalo Bills are finding humorous ways to cope with their first-round pick already being injured, WKBW ‘s Shawn Stepner announced today that the injury will keep him out for only about a quarter of the season.
Update: Source tells me after today's surgery Shaq Lawson "should only miss about 4-5 regular season games." #Bills
— Shawn Stepner (@StepnerWMAR) May 17, 2016
Now, nobody wants to see a first-round draft pick in surgery less an a month after he’s been drafted. Still, while the news could be better, and was originally slated to be better, it could also be much worse.
This likely means that when Lawson does come back, he’ll be worked into the Bills’ 3-4 scheme rather slowly. Realistically, Lawson shouldn’t end up seeing much of the field on non-passing downs for at least a few weeks until he’s more acclimated to the NFL game.
The Bills open the season with a Week 1 road game against the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 4, they’ll go back on the road to take on the New England Patriots. In between, they’ll host the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. The 4-5 week timeline will likely put Lawson’s NFL debut in Buffalo’s Week 5 road game against the Los Angeles Rams or a Week 6 home game against the San Francisco 49ers.