The Buffalo Bills released veteran defensive tackle Star Lotulelei on Friday. If it's designated as a post-June 1 cut, the Bills will have a $5.1 million dead salary cap hit. They would also create around $4 million in 2022 cap space. The 32-year-old pass-rusher had 17 tackles (11 solo), four tackles for loss, three QB hits and three sacks in 11 games (eight starts) in his third and final season in Buffalo in 2021. Buffalo signed All-Pro pass-rusher Von Miller to a huge deal just a few days ago, so Lotulelei becomes a cap casualty. He was a first-round pick by the Carolina Panthers back in 2013 out of Utah and spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with them before joining the Bills in 2018.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and won't play on Sunday against the New York Jets in Week 10. Lotulelei has started seven games for the Bills this year and has recorded 14 tackles and two sacks so far this season. In a corresponding move, defensive tackle Brandin Bryant has been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday against New York. The loss of Lotulelei for Week 10's action is notable, but that shouldn't dissuade fantasy managers from using the Bills defense/special teams in starting lineups in an excellent matchup against the Jets, even if backup quarterback Mike White has looked better than rookie Zach Wilson in his two starts.
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei (calf) missed his second straight day of practice on Wednesday with a calf injury. The Bills remain optimistic that Lotulelei will be available for the season opener on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we'd call him questionable for now. He'll likely need to get in some sort of practice on Thursday or Friday in order to have a shot to play. Lotulelei is a strong run-stuffing presence up the middle, which is why Buffalo's defense struggled in that area in 2020 when he decided to opt out due to COVID-19. The 31-year-old had just two sacks and 19 tackles (12 solo) in his last season in 2019 with the Bills, so he's not an asset in IDP formats. Against a Steelers offense that really fell off the map late last season, the Bills defense will at least be a low-end starting defense in Week 1.
Free-agent defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will sign a five-year deal with the Buffalo Bills when free agency opens, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN. Lotulelei, 28, fills a run-stuffing need that the Bills had since Marcell Dareus left to go to Jacksonville, and the former first-rounder had 25 tackles last season. The terms of the deal are unknown, but it is likely that he will get a healthy bump in pay.
Star Lotulelei
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Bills
