Bills considering unemployed former first-round pick as potential pass rush insurance

The Buffalo Bills are leaving no stone unturned.

In a year where they brought wide receiver Gabe Davis, safety Jordan Poyer and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips back into the building, the Bills are looking for the return of the former first-round draft pick.

According to the NFL Transaction Wire, the Bills hosted defensive end Shake Lawson for a tryout in Orchard Park. Lawson, 31, was the only player to audition at One Bills Drive on Monday.

Lawson, a 2016 first-round draft pick of the Bills, last appeared in an NFL game on October 20, 2024 when he logged 14 defensive snaps as a practice squad gameday elevation for the Carolina Panthers. He was released two days later and has remained on the free-agent market since.

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Depending on his current situation, Lawson may be able to step in and provide some juice at some point during the season. At the very least, it offers a battle-tested insurance policy for the winter months.

Meanwhile, the Bills’ pass rush, especially the front four, seems to be failing at key moments in games. Needless to say, neither player is even close to reaching the 10-sack plateau.

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Defensive end Joey Bosa, whose marginal sack total (4.0) leads the team, is dealing with a wrist injury, and his effectiveness has diminished somewhat.

Lawson could be back where he started

The Clemson product has already completed two tours of duty with the Bills. After his rookie contract expired, which did not include a fifth-year option, Lawson spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with AFC East rivals the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, respectively.

Lawson returned to Buffalo for the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, making a total of 31 regular season appearances during that time. The former No. 19 overall pick has made 110 career appearances (38 starts) during the Bills’ Rex Ryan era. He has 26.0 sacks and 77 quarterback hits.

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