One trade each NFL team must make before the deadline

HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 25: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell (26) warms up before the football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans on December 25, 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Buffalo Bills: Shaq Lawson to Raiders for 4th Round Pick

After posting a total of six sacks over his first two seasons, in two different defensive systems, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Lawson needed to step up. He hung onto a roster spot during camp and the preseason, but a hamstring issue kept Lawson out for the first three games.

After trading Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been berated with questions about the team’s lack of pass rush. He went so far as to say it’s hard to find pass rushers based on what’s happening in college football, which may be true but doesn’t excuse trading an elite one that was in place.

Lawson had 12.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss in his final season at Clemson, which helped make him a first-round pick in 2016 (19th overall). It also shows he has some ability to get after the passer, as much as it has not been cultivated in the NFL yet.

The Bills may take virtually anything they can get just to shed Lawson. It’s easy to see the naive personnel man that is Gruden making an unreasonably good offer, on the idea Lawson was a “great college pass rusher”. That would be an offer general manager Brandon Beane simply won’t be able to refuse.

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