One key reason why it is so challenging for teams to agree to trades at the deadline is that they have concerns with new players learning their scheme quick enough.
When you bring back old friends, that isn’t much of a problem.
The Bills announced that they signed defensive tackles Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips on Wednesday after standing pat at the trade deadline.
Jefferson was released by the Cleveland Browns and Phillips was released by the Dallas Cowboys. Both releases came this week. Buffalo jumped on the opportunity to get familiarity and depth in the middle of their defensive line.
Jefferson and Phillips have both specialized at pressuring the QB in their long careers.
Jefferson, now in his ninth season, was with the Bills in 2020 when the team went to their first AFC Championship since 1994. He started four games that campaign but was largely misused while trying to fill in for defensive tackle Star Lotulelei who opted out that offseason.
He found much more success over the past three seasons. From 2021 to 2023, he recorded 16 sacks and 42 QB hits across 34 starts with three different teams. Last year with the Jets, he had six sacks and posted a Pro Football Focus pass rush grade of 73.2 which was 32nd-best among all interior defenders.
Jefferson hasn’t performed to that level with the Browns this year, but he hopes to build on what he and the Bills started in 2020.
While Jefferson is back for his second stint in Buffalo, Phillips is looking forward to his third. He was a member of the Bills from 2018-2019 and also from 2022-2023. He is now in his 10th season.
Phillips has had success in the past with the Bills, racking up an impressive 9.5 sacks with the team in 2019. He hasn’t been as productive in recent years, and only appeared in two games while recording one tackle for the Cowboys this year. He started nine games for Buffalo last year, totaling 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks and five passes defensed.
Both Jefferson and Phillips fill a dire need for the Bills after defensive linemen DeWayne Carter and Dawuane Smoot both recently landed on injured reserve.
The two already have a good feel for the defensive scheme in place from their time with the team in the past, and they should be able to get up to speed quickly.
Defensive tackle Eli Ankou has emerged in recent weeks for the Bills after being elevated from the practice squad, but McDermott loves to rotate his defensive linemen and try to keep fresh bodies attacking the opposing QB.
With Ankou, Ed Oliver, Austin Johnson, DaQuan Jones, and Zion Logue, the Bills add a couple veteran interior pass rushers to the mix.