The Buffalo Bills selected pass rusher Shaq Lawson out of Clemson No. 19 overall in 2016, but he reportedly isn’t even guaranteed a job this summer.
According to ESPN’s Mike Rodak, Lawson might not even make it to the team’s final 53-man cuts.
“Once [Trent] Murphy fully returns from a knee injury that kept him limited in practices this spring, Lawson will be competing for a rotational role, if not for his 53-man roster spot entirely,” Rodak wrote.
Lawson came into the NFL with high expectations after racking up 12.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for a loss in his final season at Clemson. However, a shoulder injury kept him out of commission for much of his rookie season, and last year he wasn’t particularly impressive (just 17 solo tackles and four sacks) in 11 games before ending up on IR.
It’s also worth noting that the Bills could try and trade Lawson, as noted by Rodak. Still just 24 years old, the young edge rusher might just need a change of scenery to get his NFL career on track.