Shaq Lawson isn’t necessarily fond of his days with the New York Jets
Former New York Jets defensive end Shaq Lawson riled up some Jets fans on Twitter with a tweet he posted on Wednesday morning.
Lawson initially posted a GIF of himself in a Buffalo Bills uniform, which many took as a hint that he is looking to make a return to the team that drafted him in 2016.
One person replied to the tweet by claiming “[Lawson] was awful with the Jets last year.” Lawson responded with a less-than-glowing review of his time in New York, tweeting, “Lol everything was awful”.
He was awful with the #jets last year .
— FutbolKicks ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (@FutbolKicks) March 9, 2022
Lol everything was awful
— Shaq Lawson (@Shaq_Lawson90) March 9, 2022
The account “FutbolKicks” has a point. Lawson was not very good in 2021, to say the least.
According to Pro Football Focus, Lawson recorded 17 pressures on 288 pass-rush snaps in 2021. That’s a pressure rate of 5.9%, which ranked 85th out of 90 qualified edge rushers (6th percentile).
It was a disappointing step back for Lawson, who was typically a solid pass-rusher prior to joining New York. In 2020, Lawson’s 11.1% pressure rate with the Miami Dolphins ranked at the 73rd percentile among qualified edge rushers.
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Lawson provided some decent run defense during his lone season with the Jets, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough to make up for his woeful pass-rushing. Despite being a starter for most of the year, Lawson was demoted to a healthy scratch in two of his final three games as a Jet before the team released him ahead of its season finale.
Lawson finished the 2021 season with one sack, five quarterback hits, and 23 tackles in 14 games (7 starts).
The Jets acquired Lawson from the Houston Texans in late-August 2021, sending Houston a sixth-round pick for Lawson in an effort to try and recover from the season-ending ailments suffered by edge rushers Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry.
Lawson had just been traded from Miami to Houston in March.
Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer responded to Lawson’s initial tweet (the one with him in a Bills uniform) with a series of eyeball emojis. In response to Poyer, Lawson said, “I am trying [to] come back home. I miss y’all boys [it’s] been [a] long two years”.
I am trying come back home. I miss y’all boys it been long two years https://t.co/dcQay6GBnw
— Shaq Lawson (@Shaq_Lawson90) March 9, 2022
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that there is mutual interest between Lawson and Buffalo but that nothing is imminent.
I'm told there's mutual interest in Shaq Lawson returning to Buffalo but nothing is imminent on a deal. Lawson had 6.5 sacks for the Bills in 2019.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 9, 2022
Should Lawson return to Buffalo, he’ll get two chances to take out his anger on the team that he apparently did not enjoy being a part of.
Seems like every team he has gone too has been the issue is his opinion. If you’re always getting into disputes with team, maybe it’s not the teams? 🤔
He was garbage for us. I would love to see him go weaken Buffalo’s pass rush.
Curious to what he signs for. Guessing close to vet minimum