The Buffalo Bills sat a lot of starters and even main backups against the Detroit Lions in their preseason opener last weekend.
As the exhibition season goes, the final score doesn’t matter. It’s all about staying healthy and the most secure route to take is to stay off the field completely.
But then there’s the curious case of Star Lotulelei.
Previously a starter, yes, but Lotulelei took an entire year off of playing in the NFL as he opted out in 2020 due to COVID-19. With potentially some rust on him, some expected the defensive tackle to suit up against the Lions.
Instead, Lotulelei didn’t, and Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier explained why. Per the DC, staying healthy played a part, but Lotulelei has impressed during training camp practices so far this summer, which gave the team confidence that playing him just wasn’t necessary.
“Some of the reason why he didn’t play in that ball game is because of some of the good things we’ve seen in practice,” Frazier said via press conference on Monday. “There was enough that we’ve seen to tell us that it wasn’t necessary to put him out there in that ball game.”
“He’s had a really good camp. We were all wondering what it would be like when we got him back, boy, he’s been a bright light for us in a lot of ways,” Frazier added.
Frazier did not commit to when, if at all, Lotulelei would see the field during the preseason. But he did partially tease that during the Bills’ next exhibition game vs. the Chicago Bears on Saturday, Lotulelei could see some snaps.
Regardless, Frazier’s absolutely impressed.
“Up until this point, he’s been a big boost to our defensive line,” he said.
In terms of Lotulelei himself, he added that he would “like to have some preseason reps.” However, he also said that he feels good so far this offseason, backing Frazier’s assessment.
“My body definitely feels like I didn’t play a full season, but I don’t think, when you get into your later years in your career, you can ever call yourself fresh,” Lotulelei said.
Whether or not the 31-year-old plays any snaps at all during the preseason, expectations for his return are still already high.
Previously a player seeing his importance to the Bills defense questioned by outsiders, many observers of the team did a complete 180 after watching Buffalo struggles defensively without him last season.
It might be smart for him to get out there… even just for a few plays.
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