The Miami Dolphins’ defense has a new edge to it — both literally and figuratively. The Dolphins signing on former Buffalo Bill Shaq Lawson won’t command the headlines quite like the record-setting contract the team gave CB Byron Jones will, but that’s perfectly alright. Because Lawson isn’t necessarily a spotlight kind of player. He’s a nitty gritty defender who thrives in doing the dirty work.
Just the way the Dolphins assuredly like it. Any time you hear Brian Flores talk about the DNA he wants in his players, he’s looking for selfless, ‘team first’ people who play the game with an edge — but who also play it smart.
Lawson, courtesy of his pedigree with the Clemson Tigers and Buffalo Bills, gives you all of the above. And his value to Miami might not be to be the team’s leading sack artist. Instead, Lawson’s strength, anchor and tenacity will shine in areas that you don’t often see in the box score — like setting the edge against the run.
“I just take pride in (setting the edge). You always don’t want to get out of your gap and ever since I’ve been in the league, I’ve just taken pride in not letting nobody outrun (or) get past me in my gap, set the edge, creating a new line of scrimmage,” said Lawson yesterday during his introductory meeting with the South Florida media.
“If you create a new line of scrimmage and you get everybody going forward, TFLs (tackles for loss) and things like that happen. I feel like that was a part of my success last year, just setting the edge and setting a new line of scrimmage and big plays just coming to me on the back side of help from my teammates, getting those guys in plays, too.”
It’s pretty easy to see why Flores and the Dolphins staff like this guy. And with Miami’s defensive line coach, Marion Hobby, already having an established relationship with Lawson due to their mutual time at Clemson, it’s easy to see how the Dolphins landed this addition to the defense. Miami needs grit, intelligence and power up front — Lawson supplies all three and embraces that part of the game. So whether Lawson blows up the stat sheet or not, it’s no matter. He’s a perfect fit for the Dolphins — the latest tone setter up front that fits the exact mold that Brian Flores is looking for in his defense.