Bills stash LB who made 56 tackles for them last season on practice squad

Shaq Thompson is back with the Buffalo Bills .

The Bills signed the veteran linebacker to their practice squad Monday after Thompson spent the entire offseason as an unrestricted free agent.

"I wanted to be a Bill. I wanted to play football. I wanted to be around these guys," Thompson said on Tuesday. "When you come to work everyday and everybody has the same mindset... They make work fun. They make the building fun. Atmosphere is fun.

"Just brothers. It's more than just football players coming together. It's a true family here."

Thompson, 32, didn't participate in OTAs, training camp or the preseason, so he'll need some time to get back into football shape.

But the Bills already know what he can do.

Thompson played 12 games with six starts for Buffalo last season and finished seventh on the team with 56 tackles despite dealing with hamstring and neck injuries. He also had six tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble.

Thompson stepped up in the playoffs, too. He intercepted a pass in the Bills' wild-card victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and led Buffalo with eight tackles. He added five tackles, including two tackles for loss, against the Denver Broncos in the divisional round.

The Bills now have an experienced linebacker in case he's needed again.

Buffalo has Terrel Bernard back in the middle of its defense, but the depth behind him is young. Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Joe Andreessen are the other inside linebackers on the Bills' initial 53-man roster.

Thompson gives Buffalo insurance if one of those players struggles or an injury creates an opening.

The Bills used their practice squad last season to bring back several veterans who weren't with the team during training camp, including safety Jordan Poyer, wide receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips.

Thompson has a similar opportunity to work his way back into the lineup. He had to ramp up last year, too.

Thompson suffered a torn Achilles in September 2024 during his final season with the Carolina Panthers, ending his season after four games. He recovered in time to sign a one-year, $1.255 million contract with Buffalo in June 2025 and was ready for the season opener.

The Panthers selected Thompson with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent his first 10 seasons in Carolina and has 808 tackles, 13 sacks, three interceptions and five forced fumbles in 135 career games.

He played his first two NFL seasons in Carolina when Bills general manager Brandon Beane was the Panthers' assistant general manager and former Bills head coach Sean McDermott was the defensive coordinator. Those relationships helped bring Thompson to Buffalo last year.

This time, the Bills don't need him to immediately step into the lineup.