Bills' Josh Allen spent Thursday night picking himself up off the turf as Houston’s pass rush teed off on him in a 23-19 loss. After watching his quarterback get hit 12 times and sacked eight, Sean McDermott didn’t sugarcoat it, admitting that letting Allen take that kind of punishment is “not a healthy way to keep our quarterback healthy through the remainder of the season” and calling it a formula the Bills must fix fast.
Into that context walks a very familiar face. Mike Garafolo reported that the Bills are bringing defensive end Shaq Lawson back to the practice squad after a workout, marking his third stint with the franchise that drafted him in the first round in 2016.
Adam Schefter added that Buffalo signed Lawson and released Andre Jones Jr. from the practice squad to make room.
For Lawson, 30, this is more than just another stop. He spent his first four seasons in Buffalo, then returned for the 2022-23 campaign after stints with the Dolphins and Jets.
Bills signed DE Shaq Lawson to the practice squad and released DE Andre Jones Jr. from the practice squad. pic.twitter.com/qcOHiAfhDn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 25, 2025
During his first run with the Bills, he produced 16.5 sacks, set a single-season career high with 6.5 in 2019, and logged memorable takedowns of Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. Long before that, he was a first-team All-American at Clemson, leading the nation with 25.5 tackles for loss in 2015.
The bio the team circulated with his signing also underscores why Lawson is so popular in Western New York. After the 2018 offseason, he paid roughly $22,000 out of pocket to fund a new scoreboard at the field where he first played in Central, South Carolina, dedicating it to his late father and vowing that “his name will forever be known there.” Community work like that, plus his blue-collar pass-rushing style, always played well in Buffalo.
Lawson’s last high-profile moment in a Bills uniform came in 2023, when he shoved an Eagles fan he said had been making life-threatening remarks toward players and their families, later apologizing but insisting some lines had been crossed. Now the edge rusher gets a cleaner slate and a chance to work his way back onto the active roster.
If he can recapture some of his early-career juice, Buffalo’s defense gets deeper up front, and maybe the offense gets a little indirect help too. A few more disruptive Sundays from Lawson would make it easier for Allen and McDermott to avoid nights like the one Houston just handed them.
