A source has told ESPN's Adam Scheffer that Lawson (pectoral) has been cut by the Bills.

EDGE Analysis

This is a pretty big surprise, considering that Lawson was supposed to start at outside linebacker until Shaq Lawson returned from injury. The Bills will get some cap relief, and go with a more unproven linebacker until at least Week 7, when Shaq is eligible to return. Manny Lawson will probably get picked up by someone, though there's still a possible one-game suspension looming over his head.

Lawson (pectoral) may be facing a one-game suspension for a domestic violence incident, Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reports.

EDGE Analysis

The nature of Lawson's offense is unclear, as violations of the NFL's domestic violence policy are supposed to result in a minimum suspension of six games. The veteran outside linebacker was just activated from the Non-Football Injury list on Tuesday, after tearing his pectoral while lifting weights in the offseason. Between injuries and suspensions, the Buffalo front seven is already looking severely depleted.

Lawson (pectoral) has been cleared to practice and was taken off the NFI list on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Lawson is now set to start the season at outside linebacker, which is very welcome news for a Buffalo defense that's already lost three key linebackers this summer. If Lawson hadn't been able to return by Week 1, the Bills would have been digging deep to start someone at the other outside spot opposite Jerry Hughes.

While coach Rex Ryan doesn't have a firm health update on Lawson (pectoral), he still expects his linebacker to be ready for the regular season, The Buffalo News reports. "He's still got that pec but I know one thing. He seems to think that he's doing much better," said Ryan. "We don't think-we definitely think that he'll be ready by Week 1."

EDGE Analysis

With Reggie Ragland out for the season and Shaq Lawson out for perhaps half of it, a starting outside linebacker spot awaits Manny Lawson when he's ready for action. None of the understudies has really stepped up in his absence.

Lawson, who's been on the NFI list since the start of training camp with a partially torn pec muscle, will be ready for Week 1, BuffaloBills.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Lawson is expected to start at outside linebacker with rookie Shaq Lawson expected to miss at least a handful of regular season games, though we're sure the Bills would like to see Manny get in at least one preseason game. He's a smart, veteran player, however, so he shouldn't need too much time to show the Bills he's ready for Week 1 against the Ravens.

Lawton suffered an injury during a personal workout earlier this month and the Bills have listed him on the Active Non-Football Injury list, BuffaloBills.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Lawson, usually a smart role player, is expected to play an even bigger role- perhaps a starting one - until first-round rookie Shaq Lawson heals from shoulder surgery. We'll see if this is just a short-term concern, as the Bills would find themselves digging pretty deep for outside linebacker help if it wasn't, and that'd be a shame before the season even started.

With Shaq Lawson's shoulder injury expected to linger into the regular season, Manny Lawson is expected to start at outside linebacker, BuffaloBills.com reports. "Manny was always going to have a big role for us, albeit as a super sub like a sixth man in basketball if you will," said coach Rex Ryan. "He can back up all four spots (at linebacker). You can put him anywhere. He's such a smart player, but today we absolutely put him in there with the first group at that outside linebacker spot."

EDGE Analysis

Jerry Hughes and Preston Brown would seem to be the more attractive IDP linebackers in this defense, but Manny Lawson can do a number of things capably and he's at least worth keeping an eye on until the younger first-rounder is back from surgery and ready to take over.

Lawson finished the 2015 season with 47 tackles, one sack, one interception, and five passes defensed.

EDGE Analysis

Lawson played 64.4 percent of the defensive snaps, third among linebackers behind Preston Brown and Nigel Bradham. Lawson saw just 31.3 percent snaps the previous season, so it's clear he's curried more favor with the new coaching staff. Coach Rex Ryan raved about Lawson's smarts on the field, so he would appear to be in line for a regular role again next season. That said, Brown - with two 100-plus tackle seasons in his first two NFL season - is the linebacker to own in this defense from a fantasy perspective.

Lawson saw a season-high 73 defensive snaps in last week's win over Houston. while notching eight tackles.

EDGE Analysis

Lawson also saw 10 special teams snaps. While he's not technically a starter, expect the Bills to keep using Lawson heavily since he can play multiple spots, the Bills have a banged-up defense, and the team sees him as one of its smartest players on the field - something that always helps in Rex Ryan's complex defense.

Lawson was on the field for just 28 of the the team's 77 defensive plays in Sunday's win over the Colts, BuffaloBills.com reports. He registered just one tackle and no other significant stats.

EDGE Analysis

Lawson is a starter on the depth chart and there will certainly be games where he sees the field more than this, but let this be a reminder that Rex Ryan defenses use a number of interchangeable parts. Unless it's one of the stars or three-down players, best not to get involved from an IDP perspective.