Bills GM: Former 1st-rounder Lawson 'hasn't lived up' to expectations

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane all but acknowledged that former first-round pick Shaq Lawson, who was drafted by a different regime, has been a bust throughout his first two seasons.

"Shaq is a guy that this franchise put a lot of stock in with a first-round pick," Beane told The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn. "It's no secret he hasn't lived up to that. (Head coach) Sean (McDermott) and I are very frank. We try not to be rude, but we don't beat around the bush. We laid out the expectations for Shaq."

Though he's battled various injuries, Lawson has only posted six sacks in 21 career games. He was expected to provide the Bills with a ferocious edge presence when former GM Doug Whaley and former head coach Rex Ryan selected him 19th overall out of Clemson in 2016.

Beane noted he's been more impressed with Lawson's work habits this offseason than he was a year ago. Still, the former collegiate star has plenty of work to do if he hopes to enjoy a long career in Buffalo.

"We're off for five weeks," Beane added. "What's he going to do in these next five weeks? Is he going to take the next step from where he left off or is he going to regress? That's the conversation we had.

"I think he wants it. I think he is more focused this year than what I saw last year. The sky is the limit. The guy is talented. It's just what he makes of it and how bad he wants it. It's hard. Some of these guys don't know what it means to be a pro every day and that was part of the thing for him. I think he's now getting that. It is a big summer. Training camp will tell a lot about where his career in Buffalo is headed."

Lawson, 24, is expected to compete for a starting role during the preseason.

Copyright (C) 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.