Buffalo Bills: Star Lotulelei reportedly set to return at minicamp this week
One of the top storylines for the Buffalo Bills this week was going to be whether or not defensive tackle Star Lotulelei would return this week. The odds that he did were certainly higher than him skipping since it was mandatory for players. However, when considering he hasn’t been in Buffalo for any voluntary OTAs it was worth watching.
If he didn’t make it this week, it would have raised plenty of questions but on Monday The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia tweeted that Star Lotulelei was one of two players to speak after practice on Tuesday which would signal that he is in Buffalo and will be at practice.
For the Buffalo Bills coaching staff, this will be the first time they are seeing Lotulelei since about this time last year when he opted out of the season due to the pandemic. He didn’t play at all last season and his last NFL game was the Wild Card game against the Houston Texans in the 2019 season.
While Star Lotulelei is a player who doesn’t rack up big tackles or sack totals, the role he plays his vital to the success of this defense. Jordan Poyer talked about it recently and described a player that is selfless in the way he commands double teams that allows the other players on this defense to have clear paths to make plays.
Next. Top roster questions for the Bills entering minicamp. dark
That is the role he will be expected to play this season for the Buffalo Bills defense. The return of Star Lotulelei would not only help linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, along with Jordan Poyer, but also Ed Oliver. This is expected to be a big year for Oliver and now that he can play more three-technique, he is a player that could have a breakout year in his third season.
The Buffalo Bills will hold their mandatory minicamp this week before breaking for the summer and regrouping for training camp at the end of July.