In desperate need of pass-rushing help from the edge, the New York Jets made a splash on Sunday by acquiring defensive end Shaq Lawson from the Houston Texans 2022 sixth-round pick in the NFL Draft.
It’s a move made out of necessity after the Jets’ edge rush was depleted in a matter of weeks. They first lost new acquisition Carl Lawson due to ruptured Achilles before Vinny Curry announced that he would be sidelined for 2021 because of a rare blood disorder.
The deal for Shaq Lawson allows the Jets to try and build on the potential of the highly-touted Clemson product that was taken 19th overall in the 2016 draft.
In four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, he accrued 16.5 sacks and five forced fumbles before declining his fifth-year option and joining the Miami Dolphins on a three-year, $30 million deal.
Last season, Lawson accrued four sacks, 49 total tackles, and four tackles for loss over 14 games with Miami. It wasn’t enough to provide any sort of stability as the Dolphins traded him to the Texans in March 2021 — but a Houston side in the throes of upheaval didn’t even allow Lawson to suit up for a single game, dealing him to the Jets.
Should the Jets untap the potential of Lawson this season, they’ll have stumbled upon the steal of the offseason as they look to regroup an edge-rushing situation that had long maligned them.
