Free agency's impact: How the latest moves affect the Buffalo Bills

Shaq Lawson has watched from afar what the Buffalo Bills have built over the past two years.

Seeing that, he said Wednesday, made it an easy decision to want to come back.

The Bills re-signed Lawson, their former first-round draft pick who spent four years with the team from 2016-19, to a one-year deal last week, reuniting him with head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

“It was a special place before I left, and I didn’t want to leave at all,” Lawson said on a video conference call. “I just made a family decision, so when I had the opportunity to come back, this team has been special since I left. ... The defense being No. 1, watching from the other side, it’s just been like, ‘Man, I’ve been missing something special.’ ”

It’s understandable why Lawson left. The three-year contract the Miami Dolphins gave him was valued at up to $30 million -- life-changing money. Lawson found out, however, that while the money was greener, the grass was not.

After playing in a career-best 15 games in 2019 for the Bills and finishing with a single-season high 6.5 sacks, Lawson didn’t find a similar level of success with Miami. He played in 14 games in 2020 and finished with 32 tackles and four sacks, but lasted just one season with the Dolphins.

Miami traded him to Houston almost exactly a year ago, and then before the start of the 2021 season, Lawson was traded again – this time from Houston to the New York Jets.

“It wasn't really humbling. It was just, you got to find the right situation for me,” Lawson said. “At Miami, I was really out of position, so I got traded from there. In Houston, things didn't work out and stuff like that, so that's how that ended up playing out. Everything happens for a reason ... for me to get back over here and be a Buffalo Bill, so I just kept it all in God's hands.”

Lawson will be reunited with more than just McDermott and Frazier with the Bills. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is also back with the team. Like Lawson, he left after the 2019 season, but he’s stayed close with several of his current and former teammates.

“He played a major part of me coming back,” Lawson said of Phillips. “It's always great to go back with a guy you know, bringing a lot of energy to it. You know, me and Jordan bring a lot of energy to the defensive side. We get the crowd into it and everything like that.”

Lawson, 27, is entering his seventh NFL season, so it’s not as if he’s over the hill. He’s also excited to once again be a part of a defensive scheme that he believes fits his strengths.

“This defense fits me well because it's an attack defense. It's a four-down front,” Lawson said. “When I left here, I went back to an outside linebacker. So getting back to more comfortable things I'm doing. Coach Frazier and those guys know me well. They know how I play and things like that. They know what I'm good at.”

Lawson is also thrilled to not have to defend against Bills quarterback Josh Allen anymore.

“Man, his game, it's crazy. He was great when I was there, but he's your franchise quarterback,” he said “The guy is going to win a Super Bowl here. It's just been crazy to watch him because I just remember the time we played him in Miami -- it was probably Week 2 -- and he made like three guys miss. It was like Kyle Van Noy, Emmanuel Ogbah and me too. And I was like, `Oh yeah, his game's done changed to another level.'

Lawson figures to compete for a rotational spot at defensive end. The Bills have four players who should be considered safe bets to make the roster at the position – Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham and A.J. Epenesa – so Lawson won’t be guaranteed a job.

“I'm here trying to learn from those guys,” he said. “Especially a guy like Von, a guy that won a couple Super Bowls. … When I seen Von came, I'm like, 'All right, that's a guy I can learn some pass-rush moves from. He can develop me as a pass rusher, just learning the game from him, because he's one of the best to do it.' Those young guys is playing great, too. I like all of them. Whatever they find my role, I'm going to bring that junk-dog mentality out. You know, play the run. Things like that, so whatever they want me to do. It's a great group of guys.”

…

While Lawson said hello again to the Western New York media Wednesday, the Bills said goodbye to a defensive end from their 2021 roster as Efe Obada agreed to a contract with the Washington Commanders.

Obada, 29, played in 10 games for the Bills last season, making 12 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Terms of Obada’s deal with the Commanders were not released.

The Bills also lost defensive tackle Vernon Butler Jr. on Tuesday. Butler signed with the Las Vegas Raiders after spending the past two years with the Bills. A former first-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers, Butler has played in 76 career games, with 19 starts – 10 of which came with the Bills – and has made 106 tackles, eight sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

He became expendable after the Bills signed Phillips and defensive tackles DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle last week as free agents.

When the news that wide receiver Tyreek Hill had been traded from Kansas City to Miami became official, Leslie Frazier was in the middle of something.

Buffalo’s defensive coordinator, along with other coaches from the Bills staff, was at Buffalo City Mission, serving hot meals to those experiencing hunger or homelessness. He heard rumbles that Hill might be traded, but still had to confirm the trade was true.

“One of the guys mentioned it – I thought it was a joke. It’s for real?” Frazier said. “Wow. I would have never guessed that he would have not finished his career as a Chief. … I’m surprised to say the least.”

Fortunately for Frazier, in keeping up with all the action around the AFC, the Bills made big moves of their own this month. Most notably, they brought in standout pass rusher Von Miller.

“Oh, you talk about excitement? Brandon Beane and Sean (McDermott) did a terrific job,” Frazier said. “He's a Hall of Famer as a pass rusher, and he's done a terrific job throughout his career. And now, for him to be able to come to Buffalo and help us to reach our goals as a team, it's exciting, very exciting.”

Since he was the second overall pick of the 2011 draft, Miller has tallied 115.5 regular season sacks. He's been a force in the playoffs as well, and the Bills believe Miller can give the pass rush the boost it needs to bring a title to Buffalo.

“We're looking forward to sitting down as a staff and just going through all the different ways we can utilize his talents,” Frazier said. “You want to get this right, because you don't get a chance to coach a guy like this very often.”

Outside of Miller, the Bills’ recent moves on defense were highlighted by bringing back former players Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips, along with new guys for the defensive line. Frazier knows it’s critical to keep pace with other teams, and he’s impressed with what the Bills have done.

“For Sean and Brandon to do what they've done just gives you more enthusiasm about what our opportunities will look like in 2022,” Frazier said. “We're not sitting on our hands and just looking back at 2021. We're trying to move forward. So, it gets you excited about the opportunities that are before us.”

Frazier was volunteering at the event alongside Matthew Smiley (special teams coordinator), Marc Lubick (assistant wide receivers), Jaylon Finner (defensive assistant), Kyle Shurmur (defensive quality control) and Austin Gund (fellowship coach). Smiley was promoted this offseason and Lubick is entering his sixth year with the Bills. Finner, Shurmur and Gund are new hires.

Wednesday brought a chance for the six to get to know each other outside of football.

“The new guys coming in have brought in a new energy. And it just kind infuses you as you're around them and hear some of their enthusiasm about being a part of the Buffalo Bills staff,” Frazier said.

“So that's all fresh, and it's all new. And it kind of is like starting all over again, which is what you need to do every year in our League. You don't want to live in the past. You’ve got to start a new one. Having these new faces just kind of puts you in that frame of mind.”

After two-year tour through AFC East, Shaq Lawson happy to be back with Bills

Alongside other volunteers, the coaches were able to serve meals to men from the East Tupper facility, along with women from Cornerstone Manor. The meals were prepared by Chef Darian Bryan of The Plating Society, with curry chicken, jasmine rice and green beans.

“To have the coaches they see on TV all the time to come in, and show them love and show them that they care about them. … It’s a good feeling,” Bryan said. “It means a lot.”

The Buffalo City Mission opened the Tupper Street location in March 2020, just before everything shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Bills were unable to do community events in person for most parts of 2020 and even 2021. Now, Heather Mattiuzzo, the nonprofit’s senior manager of marketing and communications, is thrilled to have volunteers back.

“The in-person (aspect), it makes a world of difference,” Mattiuzzo said. “… We tried to find creative ways to do it, but nothing beats having DJs here, having Chef Darian here preparing this wonderful meal for these guys to partake in. It’s just really awesome, there’s nothing like it.”

Standing behind the counter in the dining room, Frazier and other coaches got to know their neighbors, joining tables throughout the meal. There, the Bills’ outlook came up frequently.

“Just the excitement that they have for our team,” Frazier said. “You hear it over and over again: ‘Hey, we're with you. We're behind you. This is our year.’ Man, it just kind of picks you up as we're getting ready for new year now with free agency, the draft and you hear the excitement in their voice – it kind of picks you up as well. So it's encouraging.”

The Miami Dolphins’ blockbuster acquisition of elite speed receiver Tyreek Hill on Wednesday has to tip the Buffalo Bills' draft scales a little bit more.

Cornerback already was a prime option for Buffalo with the 25th overall pick in the draft. The Bills should be leaning even more in that direction after Miami’s trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s an offensive arms race in the AFC, with Deshaun Watson (Cleveland) staying in the conference, and Russell Wilson (Denver) and Matt Ryan (Indianapolis) joining a cast of elite QBs that already included Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. (Lamar Jackson, Derek Carr and Ryan Tannehill aren’t chopped liver, either).

Now Miami can pair Hill and his 4.29-second speed in the 40-yard dash with the No. 6 pick in last year’s draft, Jaylen Waddle, who has 4.37 speed in the 40.

The Bills have one elite talent at cornerback in Tre’Davious White. It would be nice to match the AFC’s explosive offenses with a high-end athlete on the other side of the field. Levi Wallace gave the Bills outstanding play the past four years. But Wallace has 4.63 speed. He’s best as a zone corner. There are limitations on how much you want to leave him exposed against people such as Hill (as evidenced on the 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Hill in the AFC divisional playoff game).

It’s not guaranteed that the Bills must take a cornerback at No. 25. They could probably get a good one in the second round if someone they love at another position unexpectedly drops to No. 25. But cornerback is looking like a very good first-round pick for the Bills.

Here are a few other random observations on the trade for Hill, in which Miami sent first-, second- and fourth-round picks this year to the Chiefs, along with fourth- and sixth-round picks in 2023:

• It makes some financial sense for the Chiefs to deal Hill rather than pay him huge market value. They already have a bunch of stars on big contracts, and they can get a good receiver in the draft. They now have the 29th and 30th picks this year. But Hill just turned 28 on March 1. He’s not old. The Chiefs have been known to overlook guys with character questions. Isn’t it a red flag that Kansas City wants to move on from Hill?

• Miami is moving heaven and earth to prove that it was correct in trying to tank in 2019 and picking Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in 2020. If Tagovailoa can’t make it in Miami in 2022, he can’t make it anywhere. Both owner Stephen Ross and General Manager Chris Grier, entering his seventh season, have stuck with Tagovailoa, even when former coach Brian Flores seemed to waver in his support of the QB. The Dolphins also have improved their shaky offensive line in free agency with expensive signings of tackle Terron Armstead and guard Connor Williams. Still, on the list of AFC quarterbacks (see above), where would you rank Tua? Certainly not in the top eight.

• If you’re an elite wide receiver, do you really want to leave Patrick Mahomes? Certainly, Hill has extreme confidence in his ability and isn’t worried about not having success somewhere else. And Hill should be outstanding in any scheme. But Mahomes is the gold standard. To paraphrase new Bills edge rusher Von Miller: Leaving Mahomes? Who does that? (Miller, you’ll recall, was referring to Aaron Donald.) Hill has played six NFL seasons. He’s a slam-dunk Hall of Famer if he stays with Mahomes and Andy Reid. We'll see if the chemistry is as great in Miami.

• Hill’s yards per catch dropped from 14.7 in 2020 to 11.2 in 2021 because teams protected deep more against Mahomes and the Chiefs got the ball in Hill’s hands more underneath. The idea that he’s not as much of a vertical threat at age 28 is ridiculous. See the 64-yard TD vs. Buffalo.

• We’ll see how the contract for Hill breaks down. He’s getting $72.2 million guaranteed. Davante Adams just got $65.6 million guaranteed from the Raiders. The cost to the Bills of extending Stefon Diggs no doubt has gone up. It’s the price of doing business.

When Von Miller met with the media last week after signing a six-year contract to join the Buffalo Bills, he expressed how difficult a decision it was to leave the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

“It was tough man, it came down to the very end,” he said. “I feel like I let (the Rams) down. I feel like I’m breaking up with my girlfriend. That’s just me and the way I go about my business. But this was the one time in my life where I had to make a decision for me.”

As has been reported, the Rams were hopeful that he would return and had been in talks with he and his agent. Bills GM Brandon Beane said this week that Miller’s agents had reached out to him initially to gauge the Bills’ interest.

Miller had been traded from the Broncos to the Rams in early November, but his ankle injury was more serious than initially thought. He missed his first regular season game with LA after the trade but played the following week. 

“Von played exceptionally well in the playoffs as he was healing up from the high ankle sprain,” Rams General Manager Les Snead told reporters Tuesday. “That was pretty high-level playing.

“Realistically, if you lose Von Miller, it’s hard to say there’s another human being like Von Miller on the planet. There’s only one of him and he’ll go to the Hall of Fame because of it. So when you lose a player like Von, you still want to pressure the QB, might have to do it in different ways and with different people.”

A day after Miller selected the Bills, the Rams signed wide receiver Allen Robinson to a three-year, $45 million deal and remain interested in re-signing receiver Odell Beckham Jr., when he is healthy.  

“We held a spot and we held some cap space for Von,” Snead said. “When Von did choose to go to Buffalo, it’s very similar in the draft when if you were going to draft a player that plays OLB and the player gets picked right in front of you, you pivot. And then what do you do next? We decided to pivot to a different position that we felt would help our football team and not say, ‘Let’s just pivot to the next best OLB.’

“That’s what happens in free agency. Once someone like Von makes that decision and doesn’t choose the Rams, other players have already determined they might go somewhere else. We always go into free agency knowing there’s a chance that we’re going to need to be agile. The board, per se, and the players available will determine the next action.”

The Buffalo Bills’ 43-21 walloping of the Washington Football Team in Week 3 last season might have been a forgettable experience for Washington fans, but it left a big impression on Tim Settle.

The fourth-year defensive tackle for Washington, now a new Bills free-agent signee, was mighty impressed with the team on the other sideline.

“We lost, we lost, bad,” Settle said, beginning a riff during his introductory news conference. “Just how I noticed that the momentum here gets up, and once it’s gone, you better call a timeout or somebody better play like they got a hamstring or something, or they scoring 55 points. This is a team, it’s not no filter – you gonna score 100 points.

“And you got relentless defense, you got corners, you got safeties, you got linebackers, it’s like, 'Wow, I don’t know what to look at?' This is like a food bar, like a candy pantry or something,” Settle said. “You get all over, little everything. I’m sinking it in, it’s still surreal. I’m still shocked. This is a surreal moment.”

Settle took a deep breath and exclaimed – “WOOOOO! Go Buffalo, man!”

“I want y’all to know, I don’t know, man, it’s still sinking in,” Settle said. “I’m excited to be a part of this. Y’all don’t understand.”

Settle has plenty of reasons to be thrilled with his new team. He signed a two-year contract with the Bills that could pay him $9 million total.

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane recognized Settle's enthusiasm.

"He was very bubbly in the lunch room, which was the first place I went to meet him before he came to my office," Beane said. "He was popping out of his chair, which I liked his enthusiasm. . . .  I think he's an energetic guy, positive personality."

Settle is virtually assured of getting more playing time. Settle had five sacks while playing 33% of the snaps in 2020. Last season, Washington’s starting front four – all first-round draft picks – stayed healthy all year. Settle got only 20% of the snaps and had no sacks.

Now he steps into a revamped Bills defensive line group in which he figures to be the primary backup at the 1-technique position behind new run-stuffer DaQuan Jones.

“I feel like it was time to take that step,” Settle said of leaving the Commanders. “Being behind the guys that I was behind, I felt like that was getting me ready for times like this. Play your role, do what you got to do until it was your time. I felt like it was time for me to flip the chapter, time for a new book. It was all love there, it's all love. I love the coaches, I love the organization, I love, love Washington. It was time for a new book.”

The Bills love to rotate their defensive linemen. Settle's quickness also figures to add value as the pass rusher from the 1-technique position on third downs.

“I love that,” Settle said. “We're going to be fresh. That's what it's about is being fresh and getting after it. You've got fresh guys in there that can rotate, that can ball, you're going to get productivity, you're going to get positive outcome.”

Settle, however, stressed he wasn’t upset about his limited chances in Washington.

“I wouldn't say I’m under the radar, you know, it's more of the opportunity thing,” Settle said. “I realize that opportunity is everything in the NFL. You've got to take advantage of it no matter the situation, no matter if you get one play or no matter if you get four, 20 or 10. You want to get the same result that you put in. I just know that regardless of the snap count, whenever you get that opportunity, whenever you get that chance, you've got to make something of it. You can't complain and cry about it. Nobody cares.”

Beane said Settle can play both the 1-technique defensive tackle spot and the 3-technique spot (Ed Oliver's position).

"I'd say probably 1 first," Beane said. "We tried to add some beef in there, but not just with these moves, not just beef, but also some pass rush. . . . He had five sacks a year ago. I think he had 2 1/2 one of the other years, so I think he's got some pass rush. I don't think he's just a true like nose tackle, 1-tech type."

Settle was a college teammate of Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds at Virginia Tech. He said he consulted with Edmunds before making his decision to sign with the Bills.

“I definitely talked to Tremaine,” he said. “We already have a connection. I know how he plays, he knows how I play, so everything should feel perfectly fine, perfectly normal. It's definitely gonna feel good to be able to play with Tremaine again.

“If you ask him, he might say he put a recruiting pitch in, but I talked to him before, during, after, you know, he's a guy I can call whenever, regardless of the situation,” Settle said. “Me and him have that connection. It's all love.”