One season after the Buffalo Bills lost a key veteran leader in Kyle Williams, they saw outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander also announce his retirement. Alexander joined the Bills with little fanfare in 2016 after nine years in the league primarily as a backup and special teams contributor.
However, that all changed once he got to Buffalo as he had a breakout year in Rex Ryan’s defense and finished with a career high 12.5 sacks that first year. He also earned his first Pro Bowl appearance as a defensive player.
As the Bills shifted from Ryan’s defense to Sean McDermott’s more traditional 4-3 base defense, Alexander didn’t have the same level of success but still was a valuable piece in this defense.