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Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Shaq Thompson stepping back into Bills with role yet to be determined
- Story byNiagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
- Shaq Thompson stepping back into Bills with role yet to be determined
ORCHARD PARK — Shaq Thompson looked a little different when he walked out to practice for the first time Tuesday.
Thompson, who wore No. 45 for the Buffalo Bills last season, switched to the 54 he wore during his first 10 seasons with the Carolina Panthers . And he no longer his trademark dreadlocks no longer flowed from his helmet, as the 32-year-old cut them for just the second time since eighth grade.
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But make no mistake, Thompson is still the same person.
One of the main reasons Thompson signed with the Bills last year was his familiarity with former coach Sean McDermott and his system in Carolina. But Thompson also developed an affinity for the players.
"I wanted to play football. I wanted to be around these guys," Thompson said. "They brought football back for me, just the enjoyment of it. When you come to work every day and everybody has the same mindset, and they got that Dogo in them, they make work fun, they make work fun, the atmosphere is fun. It's just brothers more than just football players coming together."
In just one season with the Bills, Thompson quickly became a leader and a mouthpiece for the defense as the season progressed. He eventually started six of the 12 games he played during the regular season and both playoff games.
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But Thompson is quick to pump the brakes on leadership talk.
"I got to step into it easy," Thompson said. "Just because, for me, it's a bigger impact when you're here, putting in the work with the guys. I wasn't here in OTAs, I wasn't here in training camp, but I still got the same mindset. … Some of the guys I knew, some of the guys I played with last year and some guys would probably want me to step up and do something. … I got to go out there and play, put in the work with them, practice and all that type of stuff before I even start becoming a leader."
Thompson made his desires public the day after the Bills lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round: he wanted to come back to Buffalo, but he also wanted to show he was still a starting-caliber linebacker.
Those opportunities didn't arise, visiting the New England Patriots at one point during training camp. Terrel Bernard is entrenched as the team's starting middle linebacker, but the Bills have held a competition between Dorian Williams and rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr throughout the preseason.
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Thompson remained in contact with general manager Brandon Beane throughout the offseason before finally signing him to the practice squad Monday, allowing a lingering hamstring injury that cost him four games last season to heal.
Like the Bills did last year in signing Jordan Poyer off the practice squad five games into the season, they seem intent on doing the same for Thompson, although Beane didn't indicate when that would happen. But head coach Joe Brady doesn't want players who are content remaining on the practice squad.
"I want guys that are pissed. Like, 'I wanted to make the 53,'" Brady said. "Because that's why we want them here — because they have that personality and that edge and they're not comfortable."
Where Thompson has an advantage — aside from his football acumen — is his versatility. While he may not be the same player who was among the league's most versatile defenders a decade ago, Thompson can still play both linebacker positions.
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Thompson was able to help stabilize the defense as the middle linebacker when Bernard was injured and he started games as the weakside linebacker. While the defense has changed under coordinator Jim Leonhard , that's nothing new to Thompson, who played for six coordinators in Carolina.
"I think I can fit in with any team, any coach," Thompson said. "It happened a lot in Carolina. … In this game, you got to learn how to adapt and adjust. And that's what we talk about on defense and just in football. You got to adapt and adjust and you just got to do it their way. If you do it the right way, it doesn't matter."
NOTES: OT Jude Bowry, DB Jordan Hancock , RB Ty Johnson , S Jalon Kilgore, DT Phidarian Mathis , WR Khalil Shakir and OLB Javon Solomon did not practice Wednesday.
