Reeling Patriots Sign Second Ex-Bills' Starter With AFC East Meeting Set for Week 4

After already signing one of Buffalo's former players onto its practice squad at the end August, New England added another one-time Bill to its 53-man roster on Friday.

Buffalo Bills' defensive tackle DaQuan Jones takes a seat while the offense is on the field during first-half action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov 16, 2025, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The National Football League is in full swing now that there’s been two games played on the slate of matchups in Week 1, and—with that being the case—the endless supply of news has started flowing heavily around Western New York and the rest of the country.

And, with the Buffalo Bills' AFC-East counterparts, the New England Patriots, already having played on Wednesday night, which ended in a heartbreaking 13-10 loss on the road to the Seattle Seahawks, the divisional roster shenanigans have already started taking place, as well.

Whether it be practice-squad shuffling or bottom-of-the-roster gymnastics, there’s seemingly never a dull moment from September until February.

Patriots keep pulling ex-Bills off street

Aug. 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Former Buffalo Bills' veteran punter Mitch Wishnowsky (19) punts the ball in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the new Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Friday afternoon, that proved to be exactly the case once again as the Patriots poached another former Bills’ player out of the current free-agent player pool after already doing so with the addition of Buffalo’s former punter, Mitch Wishnowsky, who signed with New England’s practice squad shortly after final roster cuts were made in Western New York on Sunday, August 30.

This time?

Buffalo’s AFC-East foe decided to bring aboard 34-year-old defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, who previously played for the Bills over the past four seasons after originally signing with the team on a two-year, $14-million deal back in March 2022.

Nov. 20, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans' quarterback Davis Mills (10) breaks a tackle from former Buffalo Bills' defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (92) in the second half of a past NFL game at NRG Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, apparently Jones, who hadn’t been on an NFL roster all offseason since being allowed to test free agency earlier this spring, inked a one-year contract worth up to $6 million to stay in the Bills’ division. 

Wishnowsky, Jones likely to be in uniform for Patriots during Week 4 matchup in Orchard Park

And, with three weeks still to go until Buffalo’s first matchup with the Patriots at the new Highmark Stadium in Week 4, it’s likely that the one-time 2014 fourth-round pick out of Penn State—along with the aforementioned Wishnowsky—will be in uniform against his old squad on Sunday, October 4, at 1 p.m. ET.

Will it be a revenge game for both players in their return to Orchard Park?

Well, maybe for Wishnowsky, who punted admirably in New England’s opening loss of the season to the Seahawks on Wednesday night in Washington state with an average of 44.2 yards per punt on four attempts. 

However, as for Jones, it sure didn’t seem like the 6-foot-4, 320-pound veteran had much left in the tank last season when still with the Bills.

For the 2025 season, Jones only managed to appear in 12 regular-season games en route to tallying 22 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hits, which was a far cry from the three previous seasons when he recorded 77 total tackles, 23 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, and six-and-a-half sacks in just 39 regular-season outings from 2022 to 2024.

Patriots’ roster decisions reek of desperation given Bills had no interest in keeping veteran duo

Former Buffalo Bills' defensive tackle Daquan Jones (92) tries to sack New England Patriots' quarterback Drake Maye (10) during second-half action at the old Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 5, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

With that in mind, though, it appears that New England might already be in slight “desperation mode” when it pertains to their follow-up to last year’s magical run to the Super Bowl, which makes the signing of Jones—and previously Wishnowsky at punter—all the more intriguing.

Third-year quarterback Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s loss to the Seahawks, and the Patriots’ defense didn’t do enough to hold backup quarterback Drew Lock in check long enough to grab a victory.

It was a wasted opportunity for Mike Vrabel’s group, and it now provides the Bills a chance to capture an early lead on the Patriots in the division if they can take care of business down in Houston on Sunday.

Dec. 22, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws the ball vs. the New England Patriots during the first half of a past NFL game at the old Highmark Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

We’ll soon collectively find out how the two former Bills’ castoffs continue to perform as the season starts picking up momentum through September.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —