The trade for Shaq Lawson is the quintessential Joe Douglas move.
The Jets only traded a sixth-round pick for the 27-year-old Lawson and will pay him just $990,000 in base salary in 2021. Lawson has a $1.49 million cap hit because of incentives, according to Over The Cap. He’s also on the books for $8.9 million in 2022, but none of that is guaranteed. That gives Douglas options beyond this season as the Jets try to replace the injured Carl Lawson in the short term.
The new Lawson is a solid pass rusher with room to grow. He won’t replicate the pass-rushing threat the Jets lost when Carl Lawson ruptured his Achilles, but Shaq Lawson offers a similar skill set.
Lawson’s production in 2020 wasn’t impressive, but his advanced metrics were above average.
He only tallied four sacks last season with the Dolphins, but his 15.4 percent pass-rush win rate ranked in the 78th percentile among edge rushers, according to Pro Football Focus. He also had an 11.1 pressure rate. This was likely because Miami played Lawson all over the defensive line. Lawson lined up at outside defensive end on just 52 percent of his snaps in 2020, which is a sharp drop from the 88.9 percent he played at that position in 2019 with the Bills. He also played outside linebacker 24.5 percent of the time and interior defensive line 21.4 percent of the time.
That positional versatility will come in handy for Jeff Ulbrich and the Jets’ defense, but it won’t be necessary. New York will likely play Lawson similarly to how the Bills used him: as the speed edge rusher on the right side. That’s where the Jets are thinnest on the roster after Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry’s seasons came to premature ends.
But Lawson won’t be reserved to rushing the quarterback. He’s also proven to be an adept run defender throughout his career. Lawson’s career PFF run-defense grade of 70.6 would rank in the 82nd percentile for edge rushers in 2020. That’s huge for a defense that will cycle defensive linemen throughout the game. Lawson’s ability to play in different defenses will allow the Jets to shake up their playcalling without swapping personnel.
The Jets were never going to swing for the fences with their Carl Lawson replacement. Acquiring someone like Chandler Jones or Dante Fowler Jr. was never truly in the cards for a team that is still far away from competing for a title. This trade, however, gives the Jets a lot more help on the defensive line without sacrificing much in the process.
New York’s defense is stronger now with another Lawson in tow. The key will be for him to acclimate to the defense before Week 1. If Lawson picks up the playbook quickly, the Jets have a cheap and young quality starter to join the rest of the young defensive linemen.
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