Orchard Park, N.Y. — A.J. Klein had his RV packed and was ready to set out for Key West on a family vacation last week when he received a text message from Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane.
Klein had been on the couch for five weeks after the Bills cut him on Dec. 10 to make room for tight end Dawson Knox, who was returning from injured reserve. But after linebacker Tyrel Dodson suffered a shoulder injury in the regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins, Beane wanted to see if Klein would be open to rejoining the team’s practice squad.
After convincing his family to cancel their vacation, Klein told the Bills yes. He jumped on a plane last Wednesday to Buffalo, practiced on Thursday and Friday, and then suited up for the Bills in their Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers.
The Bills were lucky to have Klein, who entered the game in the third quarter after starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard was carted off the field with an ankle injury. Klein played the rest of the game in his place and finished with a team-high 11 tackles.
“At this point, who doesn’t want to be in the playoffs?” Klein said. “I always say you gotta get your feet wet. The first few plays obviously weren’t great. But knocked the rust off and it’s like riding a bike.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott joked that Klein was like Clark Griswold from the famous Vacation movie series, set to take off for an exciting vacation with his family.
“We stopped him, I think, just short of WallyWorld,” McDermott said with a smile. “And he came back and he put the uniform on and had to go out there and play. I think that’s pretty special right there. So I applaud A.J. for that and pretty remarkable. I should applaud his family as well.”
McDermott said after the game that Klein was thinking about retirement when he left the team in early December. Klein thought he may have reached the end of the line with the Bills when he was released.
“I’m the kind of guy that’s…
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