Shaq Lawson Will Make NFL Debut vs. Miami Dolphins
By Ryan Brennan
We’ve been waiting for this moment for quite some time now, but it seems like Shaq Lawson will finally suit up for the Buffalo Bills.
When a team uses their first-round draft pick on a player, they expect to use him right away and see production. That’s what the Buffalo Bills were hoping to see from their first-round draft pick, Shaq Lawson.
Unfortunately, Lawson suffered a setback to his NFL debut when it was decided that offseason shoulder surgery is the safest route for the defensive end. In the long run, we were all able to accept the fact that we wouldn’t see Lawson right away because we would rather have him at full health.
When he was placed on the Injured Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, we knew for a fact that we wouldn’t see him for the first six games of the season. We also had faith that the time off would be enough to get him back as soon as possible.
Well, six games have past and Lawson is eligible to return to the field.
On Wednesday, Rex Ryan wouldn’t give us a clear answer on whether we would see Shaq Lawson on Sunday vs. the Miami Dolphins. He did answer whether or not he will start, though, stating that Lorenzo Alexander has earned that starting spot.
The main reason for Ryan’s hesitation was simply due to the fact Shaq Lawson hadn’t been a part of an NFL practice before. However, that all changed on Wednesday when he returned to practice. That continued on Thursday and came with a lot of good news, as well.
Here’s what Rex Ryan said after Thursday’s practice:
"“Oh, yeah, I think he’s going to play. I’ve seen enough. He looks pretty darn good out there. He’s flying around. He looks like the guy that we drafted, the guy that we wanted him to be. We’ll see once we get the live games going and all that. There’s a reason we took him in the first round, and he’s showing that on the practice field.”"
Shaq Lawson even added to the excitement on Wednesday:
"“It would feel great to be out there on Sunday and play with those guys. I haven’t played a football game in I don’t know when. So it would feel great to be out there, get back into game shape and join this win streak we’re having and keep it going. It would mean a lot if I’d be out there on Sunday. If I don’t be out there on Sunday, I now it’s going to be—you know, they’re just making sure everything’s safe and things like that.”"
Looking ahead to Sunday’s matchup with the rival Dolphins, things seem to be looking well for Shaq Lawson. It seems like Rex Ryan is ready to unleash the rookie and see what he can do in real-live action.
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Personally, I think he’ll see a decent amount of snaps out there working behind Lorenzo Alexander. He’ll get some chances to make some plays and knowing his athletic ability, he shouldn’t have a problem finding a groove early on.
That won’t bode well for the Dolphins, who were already worried about this Bills’ defense without Lawson. Imagine if Marcell Dareus ends up making his return, as well.
Man…
How excited are you to see Shaq Lawson finally play in an NFL game for the Buffalo Bills? Leave your comments below!