Buffalo Bills who likely won’t return next season: Shaq Lawson, DE
The Bills were counting on Von Miller being a huge part of their Super Bowl run this year, but when he went down to a season-ending injury, things changed drastically. Since losing Miller, the Bills pass rush was a whole lot different.
This is a unit that had a very difficult time getting to the quarterback. In fact, some of the biggest pass rush plays came from linebacker Matt Milano this year, not from the edge spots.
Shaq Lawson is a former first-round pick, but he peaked back in 2019 with 6.5 sacks. Over the course of 2022, Lawson only tallied 3.5 sacks in 15 appearances with six starts. Lawson will be 29 this summer and doesn’t give any indication of being a large part of this defense anytime soon.
Buffalo needs to overhaul their pass rush, just like they do with the offensive line and wide receiving core. Lawson will not be back, and the Bills will try to get younger and more dynamic in this area.