The Buffalo Bills announced on Friday that they have released veteran defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.
The move saves the Bills $1.5 million in cap space and will cost the Bills $7.7 million in dead cap this year, but there will be no dead cap left over next year from the release.
Lotulelei, now 32 years-old, signed a 5-year, $50 million deal with the Bills in 2018 after playing under Sean McDermott with the Carolina Panthers from 2013-2017. He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about COVID-19, and in 2021, availability was an issue.
He missed the first game of the season against Pittsburgh with a calf injury, and then for the next seven games he played roughly 50% of the snaps for the Bills. He tested positive for COVID prior to the week 10 game against the Jets and would miss the next three games. When he returned, he wasn’t the same player they were used to. He also missed the Week 16 win over New England for a personal reason.
Lotulelei lost his role as a starter to Harrison Phillips in the second half of the year and playoffs, as he was playing roughly just 30% of snaps. The veteran’s release comes after playing three seasons with Bills, where he managed eight tackles for loss and five sacks in that span.
What helped Brandon Beane move on from Lotulelei were the signings of new toys along the defensive front.
Buffalo’s interior defensive line, aside from a returning Ed Oliver, will have a new look in 2022. Along with Lotulelei’s release, the Bills also lost Harrison Phillips, who signed a deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Bills GM Brandon Beane knew this was a position that needed to be addressed, and within the last few days, the Bills signed defensive tackles Tim Settle, DaQuan Jones, and Jordan Phillips, who bring not just a lot of size to the defensive front, but a lot of energy as well. Here’s Settle’s first press conference as a Buffalo Bill:
