NFL defender who injured Trevor Lawrence is head-hunting Titans rookie Cam Ward

The NFL doesn't have a player who resembles former Cincinnati Bengals defender Vontaze Burfict of yesteryear, in part because they've done everything in their power to phase such hits out of the game. Burfict was, by most accounts, a dirty player and headhunter. He didn't hide from that reputation, either, frequently embracing the villain arc opposing fanbases placed on him. At this point, Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair isn't far behind.

Al-Shaair was suspended last season for injuring Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence was obviously sliding, but Al-Shaair came in high, forcing the star signal-caller into concussion protocol.

Al-Shaair was suspended three games for that hit, and rightly so. Jon Runyan, NFL vice president of football operations, dropped the hammer on Al-Shaair for good reason.

"Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL," Runyan wrote. "...Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated."

Azeez Al-Shaair is at it again in 2025 vs Cam Ward and the Titans

A player with the history of Al-Shaair always has the eyes of the officiating crew on him. It's even more surprising, then, that the refs missed what looked like an obvious roughing the passer call – and potential ejection – on Al-Shaair in the first half. The Texans linebacker was chasing Ward outside the pocket and blasted him in the head after he threw the football.

That is not a legal play, and even though Ward was outside the pocket, he did not pass the line of scrimmage. Thus, he is not a runner, and Al-Shaair needs to show restraint. This has become a pattern for the 28-year-old, and while Texans head coach Demeco Ryans has come to Al-Shaair's defense time and time again, Houston is lucky Ward wasn't injured on this play.

Azeez Al-Shaair makes Texans coach DeMeco Ryans look bad

Here's what Ryans had to say about Al-Shaair after the hit on Lawrence.

"It's unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. I hope Trevor is okay. But it's also, when you're sliding, you have to get down. Getting out of bounds or getting down, that rule is there to protect the quarterbacks. We want our quarterbacks to be safe in the league. So we just have to be safe and when we're sliding, make sure we're keeping our heads down. The entire thing, Azeez hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts and it turns into a melee. But it wasn't our guys. Their team overreacted, dragging our guy, pushed our guy to the sideline. So, that's uncalled for on that side," Ryans said.

At the time, I took Ryans at his word. Players make mistakes, and in a split-second decision, Al-Shaair made the wrong choice. However, such hits are becoming a pattern for this player. At some point those so-called mistakes must become his reputation.

Ward is the face of the Titans franchise and the No. 1 overall pick. Much like Lawrence, who is a division rival and former top selection as well, his success will make the franchise and league a lot of money. Expect Al-Shaair to hear from the NFL office again shortly.