Sean McDermott calls on a familiar face from his past to help boost the Bills' depth at a key spot on defense

The Buffalo Bills have a pivotal season coming up as they look to finally get over the hump and get out of the AFC playoffs and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.They continue to look for ways to improve their roster with that goal in mind. Their most recent roster move has reunited Bills […]

Destin Adams NFL News Writer
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Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott reacts during the second half in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills have a pivotal season coming up as they look to finally get over the hump and get out of the AFC playoffs and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.

They continue to look for ways to improve their roster with that goal in mind. Their most recent roster move has reunited Bills head coach Sean McDermott with a familiar face from their past. 


Bills sign LB Shaq Thompson

Sep 25, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson (7) looks on against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Bank of America Stadium.
James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Bills have signed LB Shaq Thompson just as they began their mandatory minicamp. The Carolina Panthers drafted Thompson in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He's spent every year of his 10 year career with the Panthers up to this point. 

He's appeared in 123 games, and for the first eight years of his career, he appeared in at least 14 games a season. The last two years, sadly, injuries have derailed things as he has only been able to play in six games during that span. He now reunites with McDermott, who was his defensive coordinator in Carolina for the first two years of his career. 

Thompson was a great long-time starter for the Panthers, but he won't have that expectation in Buffalo. He is being signed as a key reserve at LB and brings the team an experienced player who can step in and replace multiple starters if they need to miss time for any reason. Last year, the Bills saw Matt Milano and Terrell Bernard have to miss games due to injury, which makes this signing way more valuable than people may think.