Bills re-sign veteran linebacker AJ Klein

The Buffalo Bills re-signed 31-year-old linebacker AJ Klein on Monday according to a team source.

Back for another season.

We've re-signed LB A.J. Klein to a one-year deal: https://t.co/NN3CXI8AKE pic.twitter.com/DET6d1WxCQ
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 17, 2023

The steady veteran, Klein, provides much needed linebacker depth to a Bills team that lost Tremaine Edmunds to free agency this off season and has yet to announce a bonafide replacement.

Sean McDermott says all three of Tyrel Dodson, Terrel Bernard and Baylon Spector can play MLB and will have a shot during the summer.
— Built in Buffalo (@BuiltInBuffalo_) March 27, 2023

The 10-year veteran out of Iowa State was drafted by the Panthers in 2013. He joined Buffalo in 2020 where he started 15 games over two seasons. After small stints with the Bears and Ravens, Klein returned to Buffalo midway through the 2022 season and played in six games, starting one. The Bills coaching staff values AJ Klein’s familiarity with the defensive scheme and his locker room leadership which will prove important as they try to locate an Edmunds replacement at inside linebacker.

AJ Klein coming back does not alter draft plans.

What it does do, similar to bringing back Quessenberry, takes away the desperation. You now have an acceptable floor if value doesn't meet need on draft day
— Bills Chat Podcast (@BillsChatPod) April 16, 2023

The signing of Klein does not solve the Bills current starting linebacker question. Head coach Sean McDermott has alluded to the fact that a Tremaine Edmunds replacement might currently be on the roster. However, many Bills media personalities and Bills fans see this as a smoke screen, as moving Terrel Bernard, Tyrel Dodson or Baylon Spector into a starting role may prove disastrous. Expect the team to fill the void left by Tremaine Edmunds either through free agency or early in next week’s draft.