2016 Buffalo Bills Offseason: Pass Or Fail?
By Dennis Moody
Defensive End/Outside Linebacker – Pass
The Bills found their replacement for Mario Williams when one of the best pass rushers in the draft, Shaq Lawson, fell right into their laps in the first round. Lawson dropped a bit due to concerns about his shoulder that some teams had. Those concerns turned out to be legitimate as he underwent surgery earlier this week and could miss anywhere from a game to a few months of the season. Despite this injury, the Bills still got a tremendously talented player who they weren’t expecting to be available when they were on the clock. The short-term pain of finding a replacement to start in place of him is not that bad compared to the long-term gain of getting a top caliber player like Lawson. If he comes back this season and plays well and goes on to have a great career for the Bills no one is going to remember that he needed surgery before playing a game for the team. The Bills get a passing grade here because they addressed a position of need in a big way with a very talented player and the injury is something he played with since his freshman year and should not be that big of a concern to Bills fans.
Defensive Tackle – Pass
The Bills defensive tackle spot was upgraded this offseason when they took Adolphus Washington from Ohio State in the third round of the draft. They did a great job adding a player who was projected to be picked much higher and who is versatile enough to play at a couple different spots on the line which is always a benefit in Rex Ryan’s multiple look defense. Adolphus even has the potential to grow into Kyle Williams replacement one day. Speaking of Kyle, he will return this season from an injury which will provide the team a boost at the position. They should get much more production this year from their defensive tackles. In Rex’s system Marcell Dareus is likely to play the nose most often but all of these players will be moving around the line during the season. The Bills pass because they did a good job of adding solid depth with big potential in the future.
Next: Safety and Middle Linebacker Grades