Shaq Lawson will undergo preemptive shoulder surgery on Tuesday morning. How long with the Buffalo Bills first round pick be out during the 2016 NFL season?
The Buffalo Bills have had a terrible day with regards to their star players that coincidentally played at Clemson University for head coach Dabo Swinney. Bills head coach Rex Ryan, whose son happens to play for Swinney at Clemson, will have to make do without either wide receiver Sammy Watkins and rookie defensive end Shaq Lawson for some time.
Watkins broke his foot during workouts and “underwent foot surgery about 3 weeks ago” and is “expected to miss [the 2016] preseason” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter adds that the recovery time for Lawson will be five to six months.
Bills WR Sammy Watkins underwent foot surgery about 3 weeks ago, expected to miss preseason.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 16, 2016
Shaq Lawson expected to be out 5-6 months.
Initially it seemed the Lawson could miss at minimum only four months due to this surgery, making it possible to rejoin the team during the first part of the Bills’ regular season. Now with this update, Buffalo will be expecting a return from Lawson in either mid-October or mid-November.
This could mean that Lawson will miss at least half of his rookie season with the Bills after being the No. 19 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Lawson was brought into the Bills as their first round selection to help offset the loss of pass rusher Mario Williams, who left the organization in 2016 NFL free agency.
One thing that the Bills have on their side is time to deal with both of these tough injuries. Buffalo has all of training camp and the preseason to find alternative solutions to help replace both Watkins and Lawson at the start of their season. Tomorrow is another day, Buffalo.
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