The Buffalo Bills were thin at defensive tackle, but they’ve bolstered the ranks.
The Buffalo Bills needed some help at defensive tackle and in the past two days, they’ve brought back two former DTs to bolster the unit. On Wednesday, the Bills signed Quinton Jefferson a day after reportedly adding Jordan Phillips. Both moves were confirmed by the team late Wednesday morning.
Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot was first on the Jefferson news. Jefferson was released by Cleveland on Tuesday.
When was Quinton Jefferson on the Bills?
Jefferson spent the 2020 season with Buffalo before being released in a salary cap move prior to the 2021 season. He played a ton in those games as Buffalo’s third defensive tackle, finishing the year at just under 50% of the team’s snaps. He finished the year with three sacks, 23 tackles, six QB hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
How many teams has Quinton Jefferson played for?
Jefferson played five games for the Browns in 2024 as a depth option for them. He played on the New York Jets in 2023, starting 14 games. In 2022, he was with the Seattle Seahawks starting three of the 17 games in which he played. In 2021, Jefferson started 17 games for the Raiders. Before Buffalo in 2020, he spent the four years of his rookie contract with the Seahawks, working his way into the starting lineup by his third year.
What can Quinton Jefferson bring to the Bills?
Jefferson is going to come in and play meaningful snaps for a team that just placed rookie DT DeWayne Carter on injured reserve. Buffalo has elevated journeyman DT Eli Ankou from their practice squad the last two games, and Jefferson will probably replace his spot on the gameday active roster. Jefferson has experience in Buffalo’s system and we shouldn’t expect him to be a world beater, but just a guy who can give a breather to Ed Oliver and Daquan Jones as the third or fourth DT.
Quinton Jefferson stats
Over his career, Jefferson has averaged 4.3 sacks, 31 tackles, final tackles for a loss, one pass defended, one forced fumble, and 12 QB hits over the course of a 17-game season. In 2023, he stuck pretty close to those numbers, reaching 6 sacks and 34 tackles. With the Browns in five games, he had one sack and ix tackles.
Who did the Bills release to make room for Quinton Jefferson?
On Tuesday, the Bills released safety Mike Edwards after he asked for his release. They already had an open roster spot from last week when Carter went on IR, so Buffalo didn’t have to release anyone to make room for the DT duo.
How much are the Bills paying Quinton Jefferson?
When a veteran makes the opening day roster, his salary for that season is fully guaranteed. For that reason, the Browns were set to pay Jefferson $4 million in 2024 including a veteran minimum base salary. It’s likely, therefore, that the Bills aren’t going to pay him more than what he was going to make in Cleveland for the rest of the season; the NFL’s league minimum of about $72k per week, or about $570k for the rest of the season.
We will confirm when we get contract details.