The Buffalo Bills are bringing back an important member of the quarterback room for the playoffs.
The team lost third-stringer Shane Buechele when he was poached from Buffalo’s practice squad by the injury-depleted Kansas City Chiefs in December. Buechele got the chance to join an active roster and appear in an NFL game for the first time in his career, but will now return to Buffalo for the opening round of the NFL playoffs.
The Bills are set to travel to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Bills Re-Sign Buechele in Flurry of Roster Moves
The Bills announced a series of roster moves on Wednesday including the signing of Buechele, who cleared waivers after the Chiefs parted ways with him to start the week.
Buechele had backed up Chris Oladokun for the Chiefs after the team lost starter Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew to season-ending injuries in successive weeks. Buechele appeared in the team’s season-ending loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and completed 7-of-14 passes for 88 yards.
Buechele has played an important role with the Bills for most of the past three seasons, working with starter Josh Allen on improving his mechanics. Buechele had considered hanging up his cleats to become a quarterbacks coach, but the Bills convinced him to come back in a hybrid role where he serves as the No. 3 while also working with Allen on his game.
“I think I see mechanics pretty well and I like watching it, too,” Buechele told the Niagara Gazette before the season began. “I like watching the mechanics of throwing the football and where I can help as much as possible. He’s one of the most talented guys in the NFL at throwing the football, so he doesn’t need a lot of work, but I can help.”
Buechele said he thought his career might be over when he was released by the Chiefs in 2023 after serving as their practice-squad quarterback, but was grateful that the Bills expressed a strong interest in him.
“It was really cool to see them just want me here,” Buechele said. “That was an emotional time for (my family) because we’ve never been hurt before. So when that happened and they kind of lended a hand out and said they wanted me here and wanted me to help, that was a good feeling.”
Bills Force to Make Other Moves
Along with signing Buechele back to their practice squad, the Bills also made a series of other moves to make up for some recent injuries. They signed veteran cornerback Dane Jackson to the active roster from the practice squad, helping make up for an injury to rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston that is expected to keep him out of Sunday’s game.
The Bills also added more depth to their secondary, signing rookie free agent Daryl Porter Jr., whose father played for the Bills in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The team also announced that veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips would be headed to injured reserve, effectively ending his season.
Bills Bring Back Quarterback Days Before Playoff Start