Buffalo Bills: Ranking the best departed players in McDermott-Beane era

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Shaq Lawson #90, Jordan Phillips #97 and Kevin Johnson #29 of the Buffalo Bills celebrate a sack by Phillips during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 6, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Buffalo defeats Tennessee 14-7. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

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ORCHARD PARK, NY – DECEMBER 08: Shaq Lawson #90 of the Buffalo Bills dances on the field against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter at New Era Field on December 8, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. Baltimore defeats Buffalo 24-17. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

3. Shaq Lawson

It remains to be seen what Shaq Lawson is going to do for the Miami Dolphins but if last year is any indication, this is one player the Bills may regret not bringing back.

Lawson was a first round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2016 and didn’t produce like a player teams expect when they select them in the first round. However, this is not to say he wasn’t steady as he had 14.5 sacks over the last three years, with a career high 6.5 this past year.

The Bills front office were forced to make a choice prior to last year’s breakout season and elected to not pick up his fifth year option. At the time, this was the right decision because Lawson was a solid player but hadn’t established himself as that top defensive end even on the Buffalo Bills.

If Shaq Lawson continues to develop and improve with the Miami Dolphins, the decision to not bring him back may be one of the biggest mis-steps of the McDermott-Beane era.

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