The Bills are signaling they’re open to any realistic avenue to stabilize a shaky pass rush, and Lawson fits the profile of a plug-and-play veteran who already knows the system and culture.
Brandon Beane and the front office have leaned heavily on familiarity this year, previously circling back to players like Gabe Davis, Jordan Poyer, and Jordan Phillips. Bringing Lawson in for a look continues that trend of trying to patch roster holes with trusted former contributors rather than making a splashy outside move.
For Lawson, this tryout is a chance to revive his career in the place where he’s had his longest and most productive stretches. His history in Buffalo includes key rotational snaps, edge-setting against the run, and occasional timely pressures, even if he’s never developed into a premier sack artist. At 31, his ceiling isn’t unknown upside but reliable, veteran snaps if his conditioning and explosiveness are still NFL-level.
From a schematic standpoint, Lawson offers flexibility as a rotational defensive end who can play on early downs, slide inside on some passing downs, and help keep the primary rushers fresh. That could be valuable for a front that’s worn down late in games and struggled to generate consistent heat in high-leverage moments.
Nothing is guaranteed off a single tryout, but the Bills’ willingness to bring their former first-rounder “off the couch” shows just how urgent their search for answers has become. If Lawson looks sharp enough to earn a contract, he could quietly become part of Buffalo’s late-season formula—more as a steady veteran insurance policy than a headline-grabbing savior, but potentially important all the same.
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