Shaq Lawson could miss Buffalo Bills entire 2016 season

The Buffalo Bills most recent first round draft pick is now looking more likely to not even see any of the field during the entire 2016 season. Selected out of Clemson University, Shaq Lawson was drafted with a known shoulder injury that he had fought through since his freshman year in college.

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Speaking on local Buffalo radio, ESPN’s Louis Riddick stated that his sources near Shaq Lawson had said that the rookie would likely miss the first half of the season and could potentially miss the Buffalo Bills entire 2016 campaign.

The man that tweeted out this potentially game changing news was a beat writer and local radio host in the Buffalo area, Sal Capaccio. However, following the original tweet, Capaccio did add what he had heard on the situation.

This entire situation seems extremely fishy for me. While Capaccio is likely to have a much better grasp on whats going on with the Bills given his status, why would an ESPN “insider” like Louis Riddick make a statement like he did without having full belief in what he was hearing.

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One of the biggest problems for this whole ordeal in my opinion is the lack of knowledge on Lawson’s injury and surgical procedure. From what I personally know, a normal person needs anywhere from 3-6 months to recover from most shoulder operations. With many of these people also not in contact sports, the recovery time for a pro-athlete like Lawson could be closer to the six month timeline.

While the player has already gone on to dispute the pessimistic reports, there is no denying that the timeline could be accurate. With the operation having taken place on May 17th, six months puts us midway through November. Depending on the severity of the injury and how much work was done on the shoulder, it is possible we could be looking at an early December return date.

That return date would bring Lawson to the Buffalo Bills active roster between week 11 and 13. Depending on the play of the defense up to that point as well as the team’s record, Lawson could be held back by the coaching staff and front office in order to fully secure a healthy future for their first round pick.

Shaq Lawson knows his body better than anybody. However, his return to the Buffalo Bills and whether or not he plays this season may not be up to him.

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