Buffalo Bills: 4 players with the most to prove on defense in 2018

Shaq Lawson

Shaq Lawson was the easy name for this list. Not only is he fighting for his reputation, he is fighting for his job.

Lawson has only appeared in 21 games for the Bills over his first two seasons. That could work in his favor as the team hasn’t gotten to see a full healthy season from the young man out of Clemson. He does have six sacks in that span, so there is something to build on.

One thing working against Lawson, and why he has so much to prove to the front office, is that he was drafted by the Doug Whaley regime. An article on NFL.com last month quoted Beane as saying that Lawson hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft status. That is not a good sign for Lawson.

Add in the fact that Beane has gotten rid of some top Whaley picks and Lawson really needs to prove a lot in training camp. If he struggles he may avoid being cut, but his playing time would surely go down.

Next: 4 players with the most to prove on offense in 2018

Lawson has a lot to prove but it is possible he is traded this summer. The problem is I’m not sure how high his value is. If the option is keeping him or getting a late-round pick, it may be more valuable to see what he can do when healthy for a whole season.