NFL teams have been pretty busy on the transaction wire this week. Today, the Buffalo Bills added a veteran free agent they already know pretty well.
On Thursday, the Bills signed free agent linebacker A.J. Klein to their active roster off waivers. Klein started the season with the Baltimore Ravens but was traded to the Chicago Bears as part of the blockbuster Roquan Smith trade before being released.
This will be the 31-year-old linebacker’s second stint with the team. Klein spent the previous two seasons in Buffalo, starting 15 of 31 games and enjoying one of his best seasons in 2020.
Buffalo released him two years into the three-year, $18 million contract they gave him in 2020. He began the season as a free agent then joined the Giants’ practice squad before the Ravens signed him off their practice squad to their active roster.
Klein played just 18 snaps on defense for the Ravens before being traded to Chicago. He only had nine snaps on special teams for the Bears before being waived.
A.J. Klein was a fifth-round pick out of Iowa State by the Carolina Panthers in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played his first four seasons in Carolina, playing 60 games and starting 23 before signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2017.
In three seasons with the Saints, Klein established himself as a starter and recorded 6.5 sacks, 193 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 12 QB hits.
As a member of the Bills, he enjoyed a career year in 2020, setting career highs in tackles, sacks and QB hits.
Will Klein play for the Bills this weekend?