Vontae Davis Jerseys 2019 , the former first-round pick has developed into a solid rotational player" Opinion90 Players in 90 Days2019 Buffalo Bills scouting report: defensive end Shaq LawsonNew,52commentsWhile he may not be what the team initially drafted him to be, the former first-round pick has developed into a solid rotational playerEDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:2019 Buffalo Bills scouting report: defensive end Shaq LawsonTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty ImagesLast season, the Buffalo Bills ranked 26th in the NFL in total sacks. They had 36 as a group, which was an improvement from their 2017 total of 27, but still was nowhere near where they wanted it to be. The pass rush has been a clear point of emphasis during early practices, and with good reason.In today’s installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we examine one of the team’s primary pass rushers—a player drafted to be an elite pass rusher who has merely been a good role player throughout his young career. He’ll have the chance to put on a pressure show in what is now a contract year.<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="pPCJHl">Name: Shaq LawsonNumber: 90Position: DEHeight/Weight: 6’3” 267 lbs. Age: 24 (25 on 6/17/19)Experience/Draft: 4; selected in the first round (19 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Buffalo BillsCollege: ClemsonAcquired: Drafted in round 1 in 2016<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="xvhBYW">Financial situation (per Spotrac): Lawson is in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, a four-year pact that totals $10,278,977. The team declined the fifth-year option that comes along with contracts for first-round draft picks, which would have paid Lawson a fully-guaranteed $9.51 million in 2020. Lawson’s cap hit for 2019 is $3,270,586.2018 Recap: Lawson had perhaps the most complete year of his career last season Youth Tre’Davious White Jersey , as he functioned essentially as co-starter at defensive end with Trent Murphy. Lawson had four sacks on the season, good for a fourth-place tie on the team. He totaled 30 tackles, five of which went for a loss, and a career-high 12 quarterback hits. Lawson also deflected five passes and forced two fumbles in 14 games (six starts).Positional outlook: Lawson is firmly entrenched as a top-three defensive end in the rotation. Murphy and Jerry Hughes are the other two in the top group, with Mike Love, Eddie Yarbrough, Eli Harold, and Darryl Johnson fighting for the fourth spot on the 53-man roster.2019 Offseason: Lawson has participated in all offseason activities to date. He worked in with the second-team defense at the beginning of mandatory minicamp, starting off behind Murphy as he did last season.2019 Season outlook: Lawson has called this season “do or die” for him, and while that may be a bit over-dramatic, it’s not too far off—while he will almost certainly have a place in the NFL next season, where that place is and how much money he will make will all be determined this year. It has to sting knowing that the Bills didn’t want to pick up his option, and hopefully that provides Lawson with some added edge and motivation throughout the season. He will be on Buffalo’s roster this year, that’s fairly certain. His future will be determined by his performance in 2019. ORCHARD PARK Tre’Davious White Jersey Stitched , N.Y. (AP)Brandon Beane is happy he’s still around to tell the story of when the Buffalo Bills pegged quarterback Josh Allen to become their heir-apparent starter.The amount of film the Bills general manager watched, games attended and people he interviewed before drafting the Wyoming quarterback in the first round was nothing compared to the hair-raising experience Beane and the team’s brain trust had visiting Allen in mid-March.”Ha, ha, ha, you want that story?” coach Sean McDermott said, after Beane first mentioned how ”interesting” their trip was to Laramie, Wyoming.Sure, was the response, during an hour-long session McDermott and Beane held with reporters in June. By agreement, the contents of the interview were not allowed to be published until Thursday.Beane shook his head in describing the turbulence the Bills’ private jet experienced during landing.”We were coming in over the mountains, and the plane started just going like this,” Beane said, bobbing his arm up and down. ”Literally, our heads are going off the ceiling.”Beane and co-owner Terry Pegula White Star Lotulelei Jerseys , who had been watching video of Allen, suddenly started grabbing anything they could get their hands on – seatbacks and armrests – to steady themselves.While McDermott remained calm, Beane said offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was in near hysterics.”Daboll is face-timing with his wife. And every expletive, like, `It’s over,”’ Beane said.”It was like Fred Sanford: `I’m coming home!”’ he added, referring to the character played by Redd Fox in the 1970s sitcom ”Sanford And Son.”Upon finally landing, the pilot informed them the turbulence was the result of what’s referred to as a mountain wave, which occurs occasionally when planes fly over high terrain.Once they gathered their breath, the Bills then proceeded with meeting Allen, and put him through a workout.Without providing Allen with a script of plays beforehand, Daboll began yelling out situations to see how quickly the quarterback could digest the information and make a throw.”It was, `All right, the deep dig. Now. Five-step Star Lotulelei Jerseys 2019 , this. Go.’ And he processed it quickly,” Beane said. ”His workout was very good. And when we left there, we felt very confident.”They were confident enough to give up two second-round picks to Tampa Bay and trade up five spots to draft Allen at No. 7.Where their confidence wavered involved what bumps they might encounter upon leaving Laramie.”We were a little distracted about how we were getting out of here,” Beane said. ”It was like, `Where do we drive to have the plane meet us?”’Here are a number of other notable topics discussed during the session:McDERMOTT OWNS UPBeane revealed how McDermott owned up to Bills players by acknowledging he erred in starting rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman over Tyrod Taylor in a bid to provide Buffalo’s sputtering offense a spark in Week 11.The switch backfired , with Peterman benched after throwing five interceptions in the first half of a 54-24 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers, that extended Buffalo’s skid to three games.”Sean stood up there and he owned the Tyrod decision,” Beane said. ”He said, `It didn’t work. We tried it. And I’m trying to win every week. And unfortunately that decision didn’t work out for various reasons. Tyrod’s our starter.”’The Bills responded with a 16-10 win at Kansas City the following week as part of a season-closing 4-2 run to finish 9-7, and end a 17-year playoff drought.CHARTING ALLENTo address questions regarding Allen’s accuracy, Bills scouts turned to game tape to chart every throw he attempted. They assessed what caused the incompletions, including times he threw the ball away when his receivers weren’t open.The Bills also took into account Wyoming’s offensive philosophy, which didn’t include many short passes.”He had no gimme throws,” Beane said of a quarterback who went 152 of 270 White Russell Bodine Jerseys , in completing just 56.3 percent of his passes, with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games last year.The only real concern was Allen’s footwork, which Beane said notably improved by the time he played at the Senior Bowl in January.”I’m not saying it’s fixed,” Beane said of Allen’s footwork. ”But improved.”QB COMPETITIONMcDermott has no intention of rushing Allen into a starting job once training camp opens in suburban Rochester on July 26.Allen earned limited time with the starters during Buffalo’s three-day mandatory minicamp in mid-June. He spent the previous 10 practices working with the third-stringers, while Peterman and free-agent addition AJ McCarron split time with the starters.McDermott previously coached in Carolina and Philadelphia, and noted how quarterbacks develop differently.Whereas, Cam Newton started immediately during his rookie season in 2011 in Carolina, Donovan McNabb waited until Week 7 in 1999 to make his first start in Philadelphia.”There’s no exact way to do it, right? It’s about bringing him along the right way,” McDermott said. ”We’re not going to put him out there unless we feel like he’s ready.”Beane concurred, while adding: ”Whether he plays zero games or 16 games, we’re going to put out the guy that gives us the best chance to win each Sunday.”—