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What Josh Allen said about Bills re-signing DTs Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips

What Josh Allen said about Bills re-signing DTs Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips

While some members of the Western New York faithful still aren’t used to the Buffalo Bills having one of the NFL’s most dynamic players at the center of the franchise, quarterback Josh Allen is a true veteran at this point in his career .

He is halfway through his seventh season and has emerged as the club’s unequivocal leader. He’s accomplished quite a bit on the field while dragging Buffalo from the depths of irrelevance into perpetual contention. At the age of 28, he is nowhere near the twilight of his career, but he has left the proverbial block behind him; he has seen his fair share of roster turnover over the past seven years, as is the case with any NFL player who stays with a given team for an extended period of time.

Related: Why DT Quinton Jefferson wanted to rejoin Bills after Brown’s release

It’s this constant turnover that makes the occasional reunion all the more special, and Allen was greeted by a few familiar faces this week when he checked in at One Bills Drive. The bills re-signed defensive tackles Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips on Wednesday following their Tuesday releases from the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, which marked the start of their second and third stints with the club.

Jefferson spent the 2020 season in Orchard Park, recording 23 tackles, three sacks and 30 pressures (per PFF) in his short Buffalo stint. Phillips previously played with the team from 2018-2019 and 2022-2023, tallying 85 tackles and 13.5 sacks in 54 appearances. Both defensemen are familiar with Buffalo’s defensive scheme and overall team culture, with their reintroduction into the organization, according to Allen, only intended to help the team both on and off the field.

Quinton Jefferso

Kirby Lee-Imagn images

“Big bodies, number one,” Allen said. “The familiarity with what’s going on here in Buffalo and the kind of guys we have in this locker room. They played very good football; I think Q had over 10 sacks last year, if I remember correctly. I know Phil hasn’t played much this year due to injury, but I’m glad we have those two back. “They have once again been good locker room guys for us and they will have an immediate impact on the field.”

Jefferson didn’t record more than 10 sacks in 2023, but he did record six quarterback takedowns in his career with the New York Jets. He had recorded one sack and six total pressures before his release from the Browns this season, with both he and Phillips looking to boost a Buffalo defensive line that could use more consistent pass-rushing production from the interior.

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