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Shaq Lawson

Bills DE Joey Bosa To Miss Time

December 3rd, 2025 at 1:57pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Bills defensive end Joey Bosa is expected to miss time with a hamstring injury, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.

Bosa went down in Buffalo’s Week 13 victory over the Steelers. The team hopes he only misses a game or two, but an extended absence is possible. It seems likely that Bosa will miss the Bills’ next game against the Bengals after he was a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice. He is also dealing with a wrist injury, per the team’s official injury report.

Bosa’s absence could be a significant loss for the Bills. He leads the team with five sacks – no other player has more than three – and eight tackles for loss. Those numbers represent somewhat of a resurgence for Bosa after he only managed five sacks and five tackles for loss in 14 games last season.

Bosa’s bounce-back campaign is also reflected in his stats and grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His 41 pressures, 16.0% pass rush win rate and 90.1 pass rushing grade all lead the Bills; the last number ranks fifth among all NFL edge rushers.

Rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders will likely see more time at defensive end in Bosa’s absence, though he has been part of that rotation for the last several weeks. The second-round pick did not typically line up off the edge in college, but his athleticism makes it feasible in Buffalo’s 4-3 defensive scheme. In fact, two of Sanders’ last three games have featured his best PFF grades of the year. In those matchups, he lined up just once as a defensive tackle with 37 snaps at defensive end.

2024 fifth-rounder Javon Solomon, who has primarily featured on special teams this year, should also see an uptick in defense playing time. Buffalo may also consider calling up one of their three practice squad defensive ends – Morgan Fox, Andre Jones, and Shaq Lawson, but none have seen any in-game action this year. One could replace Bosa on the game day roster, but Sanders and Solomon will likely take on the lion’s share of the available snaps.

The Bills’ optimism about Bosa’s return timeline indicates that he is not a candidate to be placed on injured reserve, which would mandate a four-week absence not only from games, but also from practices.

Bills Sign DE Shaq Lawson

November 25th, 2025 at 11:22am CST by Adam La Rose

Shaq Lawson visited the Bills yesterday, and his workout clearly went well. A third Buffalo stint is in store to close out the season.

Lawson has signed to the Bills’ practice squad, per a team announcement. He could find himself in the lineup as early as Week 13 by signing to Buffalo’s active roster or by being made one of the team’s gameday elevations from the taxi squad. In any case, Lawson will provide depth along the defensive front on a team needing reinforcements in that area.

Buffalo has struggled against the run in 2025. The team has allowed an average of 149 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 30th in the NFL. Lawson will not be expected to handle a major workload upon rejoining the Bills once again, but he could provide an experienced depth presence up front. Similarly, the 31-year-old could chip in as a pass-rush contributor down the stretch.

Lawson played with the Bills from 2016-19 and then again from 2022-23. The former first-rounder has topped four sacks only once in a season during his career, but he has proven to be a consistent rotational contributor while racking up 110 appearances and 38 starts. Lawson’s last regular season game was his only 2024 appearance, which came with the Panthers.

Now, the Clemson product will join the likes of safety Jordan Poyer and wideout Gabe Davis as veterans brought back to Buffalo for 2025. The play of those three will be worth watching as the 7-4 Bills close out the season. Top spot in the AFC East will be difficult to attain this year, but a wild-card berth is still very much in play.

In a corresponding move, the Bills have released defensive end Andre Jones Jr. The 27-year-old has made 16 regular season appearances in his career, all of which were with the Commanders in 2023 and ’24. Jones did not survive roster cuts with Washington this summer, and he landed with the Bills on their taxi squad before the start of the season. After not seeing any game time so far in 2025, he is now a free agent.

Bills Work Out DE Shaq Lawson

November 24th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills had a familiar face in for a workout today. According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, defensive end Shaq Lawson was in Buffalo for a tryout.

It’s been more than a year since we last heard from Lawson. The pass rusher caught on with the Panthers practice squad back in October of 2024, but he got into only one game with the big-league club before getting cut. Since then, Lawson hasn’t garnered a reported tryout until today.

If Lawson does end up catching on with the Bills, it would represent his third stint with the organization. Lawson first joined the Bills as a first-round pick in 2016, and he proceeded to compile 16.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss through his first four seasons in the league. By virtue of having his fifth-year option declined, Lawson caught on with the Dolphins in 2020 via a three-year, $30MM deal. He only lasted one season in Miami before continuing his tour of the AFC East, as he got into 14 games with the Jets in 2021 (with a brief stop in Houston in between).

He returned to Buffalo for the 2022 campaign and spent two more years with the franchise. In that second stint with the Bills, Lawson added another 4.5 sacks to his resume in 31 games.

The Bills haven’t been afraid of adding old friends in 2025, as the team has had reunions with wide receiver Gabe Davis and safety Jordan Poyer. The team shouldn’t expect too much from Lawson in what would be his age-31 season, but he would add some pass-rush help to a unit that’s currently paced by Joey Bosa‘s four sacks.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/22/24

October 22nd, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: S Erick Hallet

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Prince played under Brian Callahan in Cincinnati but has only played two games over the past two seasons. A six-game starter with the Dolphins and Bengals, Prince missed all of the 2020 season due to a COVID-19 opt-out and then all of the 2022 season due to injury.

The Vikings cut Tonyan from their 53-man roster earlier today, but because the NFC North mainstay is a vested veteran, he did not need to clear waivers before joining Minnesota’s practice squad. With T.J. Hockenson on the way back, Tonyan profiles as insurance.

This is a third chance for Marshall. The Panthers waived him after three seasons. No team claimed the former second-round pick, with Joe Brady‘s Bills passing. The 49ers took a flier soon after but released him last week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/24

October 19th, 2024 at 6:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.

Panthers, Shaq Lawson Agree To Deal

October 8th, 2024 at 7:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Still on the lookout for veteran help along the edge, the Panthers are set to make another addition. Shaq Lawson has a deal in place with Carolina, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. The move (a practice squad agreement) is now official, per a team announcement.

Wilson noted earlier today that Lawson visited the Panthers. The news of an agreement quickly coming together thus comes as little surprise, and it will add considerable experience to the team’s edge rush group. The 30-year-old is a veteran of 109 games, all of which came in the AFC East.

Lawson spent his first four seasons in Buffalo, with his most productive campaign coming in 2019 (6.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss). That stretch was followed by single campaigns with the Dolphins and Jets before a return to the Bills. After handling a notable role in Miami and New York, the former first-rounder returned to Buffalo; he remained there for 2022 and ’23.

During his second Bills stint, Lawson made seven total starts and recorded 4.5 sacks. He did not have a strong market during the spring, however, resulting in several weeks of the regular season playing out until interest picked up. In the wake of Jaelan Phillips‘ season-ending knee injury, Lawson was among the veteran edge rushers who visited the Dolphins on a workout last week. That process did not yield an agreement, but he did not need to wait long to find another suitor.

Carolina traded away Brian Burns this offseason, one in which Yetur Gross-Matos departed in free agency. Preseason injuries to both D.J. Wonnum and Amare Barno left the team thin on healthy options along the edge, and a reunion with Marquis Haynes was recently worked out. After Jadeveon Clowney suffered a shoulder injury in Week 5, Lawson’s addition will provide another healthy depth option. It will be interesting to see how quickly he finds himself on the active roster.

Dolphins Working Out Potential Edge Replacements

October 3rd, 2024 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins received some unfortunate news yesterday as they discovered that a knee injury will sideline former first-round pick Jaelan Phillips for the remainder of the season. They filled Phillips’ vacant roster spot today with Tyus Bowser, signing him off of the Seahawks’ practice squad, but the additions may not stop there.

In addition to reuniting Bowser with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver after their time together in Baltimore, Miami brought in a few names to work out for potential contracts. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, veterans Shaq Lawson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Cam Gill were all in South Florida today to audition for potential roster spots.

While both Lawson and Weaver have spent time with the Jets, Bills, and Dolphins, their time never lined up together. Lawson does have experience in Miami, though, starting seven games for the team in 2020 and delivering four sacks and a career-high 18 quarterback hits. Since then, he has remained in the AFC East, spending a year with the Jets and two more seasons with the Bills, who drafted him in 2016. His role in Buffalo last year was minimal as he served as an occasional sub in the defensive pass rush.

Muhammad had an impressive 2021 campaign in Indianapolis. In his first season as a full-time starter, the Miami (FL) product delivered career highs in sacks (6.0), total tackles (48), and quarterback hits (13). Rewarded with a new contract in Chicago, Muhammad struggled to find similar success in his new role with the Bears. He spent last year on the Colts’ practice squad but didn’t play, especially after a six-game suspension was levied on him by the league for violating the NFL’s PED policy.

Gill, a former undrafted free agent for the Buccaneers, fought back from his own recent injury history to play 15 games in Tampa Bay last year. He doesn’t quite have the pass rushing upside that Lawson and Muhammad bring to the table, but he remains a potential body that Miami could add on defense.

Weaver has plenty of options to try and replace Phillips as the team moves forward with its season, though none of the options will likely match the production Phillips brought to the table. Regardless, as Miami continues to be plagued with injuries on both sides of the ball, adding quality bodies continues to be the focus.

Contract Details: James, Lawson, Muse

April 23rd, 2023 at 12:55pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are a few details on contracts that have been signed in the last several weeks:

  • Richie James, WR (Chiefs): One year. $1.08MM (veteran minimum for a player with four to six years of service time). $400K guaranteed, including $152.5K signing bonus. Despite a career year in 2022 as part of the Giants’ depleted WR corps, James had to settle for a veteran minimum accord (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).
  • Shaq Lawson, DE (Bills): One year. $1.165MM (veteran minimum for a player with seven or more years of service time). $300K guaranteed, including $152.5K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson). Lawson was unable to parlay his increased role in the second half of the 2022 season — which included two playoff starts — into anything more than a veteran minimum deal.
  • Tanner Muse, LB (Steelers): One year. $1.01MM (veteran minimum for a player with three years of service time). Twitter link via Wilson. Muse worked primarily on special teams for the Seahawks in 2022, but he saw the first defensive snaps of his career towards the end of the season and will look to carve out a rotational/ST role for Pittsburgh. Seattle non-tendered him in March.

Bills To Re-Sign DE Shaq Lawson

April 10th, 2023 at 12:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

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 (Twitter link).

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, $30MM 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 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 which 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.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Gesicki, Lawson

August 11th, 2022 at 8:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Jake Bailey signed an extension with the Patriots earlier this month, and we’re now getting details on the punter’s new deal. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter), Bailey earned a four-year pact worth $13.125MM, with $6.275MM of that deal fully guaranteed.

Bailey got a raise on his 2022 salary, jumping from $3.986MM to $4.5MM. The move lowered his cap number, however, reducing it from $4.058MM to $2.025MM. Next year, Bailey’s cap number will increase to $3.415MM before going to $3.79MM in both 2024 and 2025.

“I’m just so happy and blessed I get a few more years here,” Bailey said last week (via the team’s website). “I was just kind of on the phone with my agent and I was like, ‘Alright, that’s it. We’re good with that,’ and it wasn’t like a crazy big moment. But it was fine and a huge milestone in my life and just thankful God put me in this position.”

The 2019 fifth-round pick out of Stanford has spent his entire career in New England, including a 2020 campaign where he earned first-team All-Pro honors.

More notes out of the AFC East…

  • While you should never put too much stock into preseason depth charts, Volin points out on Twitter that the Patriots‘ initial depth chart shows that the team is committing to Trent Brown at left tackle and Isaiah Wynn at right tackle. The two offensive lineman are swapping positions following a 2021 campaign that mostly saw Wynn at LT and Brown at RT.
  • Mike Gesicki leads the Dolphins in receptions since the beginning of the 2019 campaign, but the tight end may find himself as a secondary target for Tua Tagovailoa in 2022. As Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com points out, Gesicki will likely be fourth in line for targets behind wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Cedrick Wilson. As new head coach Mike McDaniel noted, the offense won’t try to force the ball to the tight end, but there will surely be situations where the team is counting on Gesicki to contribute. “It’s something that we’ve talked to the tight ends about at length — it comes in waves,” McDaniel told Beasley. “There have been practices where he’s got seven or eight … he had more targets maybe Practice 7 — it was 7 or 8 — than Tyreek had. It’s just one of those things that you try in the game of football, especially when you are a pass receiver at any position, to really focus on what you can control. You can’t control the defenses. You can’t control the progression. You can’t control the pass rush.”
  • Veteran defensive end Shaq Lawson is back in Buffalo after re-joining the organization this offseason. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic expects Lawson to ultimately make the Bills 53-man roster, but he’s fallen behind the likes of A.J. Epenesa and Boogie Basham on the depth chart and will likely serve as the team’s fifth defensive end. The 28-year-old started seven games for the Jets in 2021, collecting 23 tackles and one sack.
  • If Tre’Davious White isn’t ready for the start of the regular season, then there’s a good chance the Bills will be starting a rookie cornerback opposite Dane Jackson. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes, first-round rookie Kaiir Elam would be a natural choice, but he’s struggled during training camp. As a result, sixth-round rookie Christian Benford could find himself in the starting lineup come Week 1.
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