ORCHARD PARK — Tattoos cover the right arm of DaQuan Jones from the top of his shoulder to his wrist. Visible among the various graphics is a scar old enough to be healed but new enough to know it’s recent.
Jones underwent surgery for a torn pectoral, suffered in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 8. The Buffalo Bills defensive tackle has been a constant presence throughout his rehabilitation period, and on Tuesday, coach Sean McDermott announced his 21-day window to return from injured reserve was opened.
McDermott said it wasn’t likely he would suit up against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday, which didn’t bother Jones, who is set to turn 32 on Dec. 27. Getting the 10-year veteran back would be a big boost to Buffalo’s interior defensive line, particularly after Jordan Phillips underwent wrist surgery Sunday, but Jones isn’t willing to risk the future for a couple of games.
The Bills now have until Jan. 9 — if the season lasts that long — to decide whether to add Jones to the active roster, otherwise his season is finished.
“It helps because you don’t have that burden of feeling like you’re letting a lot of people down,” Jones told the Union-Sun & Journal Tuesday. “I’m confident in our D-line room 1,000%. I’m excited for Poona Ford to get an opportunity again and go out there and play. Them not pushing the envelope for me to come back has really helped me kind of relax and kind of really just focus on rehab.”
Jones was listed as limited in Buffalo’s walk-through Tuesday and he said afterward that he couldn’t gauge his health completely until he participated in a legitimate practice, something that could happen Wednesday, although the Bills are using a condensed schedule due to playing on a Saturday instead of Sunday. That was a sentiment McDermott expressed prior to practice.
“We’ll just get a better feel for probably tomorrow and he’ll practice tomorrow and get through the drill work individually and take it from there,” he said.
Looking back more than two months, Jones could only describe ripping his pec as “frustrating.” He recorded three tackles for a loss in the first five games — matching his total from all of last season — but the injury occurred going for a fourth, which would have matched a career-high, set three times while playing for the Tennessee Titans, most recently in 2020.
Jones beat Jacksonville center Luke Fortner off the ball and then tossed him to the ground with a swim move to his left. Jones tried to make a diving tackle on running back Tank Bigsby 2 yards in the backfield, but he shook free and Jones immediately grabbed his shoulder.
A 1-technique defensive tackle who lines up on the outside of the center, Jones’s job was usually to free up fellow defensive linemen and linebackers. But Jones logged five quarterback hits in the first five games and it seemed playing in Buffalo was the perfect fit after notching 11 quarterback hits in his first season with the team last year, nearly doubling his previous best of six.
Jones also had 2 ½ sacks, one off his career-high of 3 ½ in 2017 and already better than the two he recorded in 16 games last season. It was a hot start for a guy playing the final term of a two-year, $14.25 million contract.
“Just knowing how hard I worked this offseason, kind of worked with the guys to get myself in a position to go out there and play fast and dominate,” Jones said. “It was frustrating, but at the same time, I see a bigger picture, a bigger goal in mind. I took it to kind of humble me and re-ground me and give me an opportunity to play these guys.”
While some players opt to have surgery and rehab injuries away from the team, Jones never left Buffalo. He was seen leaving the locker room in a sling the following week when the Bills beat the New York Giants and can often be easily spotted on the sidelines during games.
The decision to stay with the Bills, he said, was based on what was best for his mental health during that time.
“I just wanted to really show them that I’m here and I’m going to work my ass off to get back, and if I have the opportunity to play, to play,” he said.
Milano unlikely to return
With Jones returning to practice, the next natural thought is to question when All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano will be back since both players were injured in the same game.
A definitive injury was never provided for Milano other than McDermott saying it was a lower leg injury. Milano appeared heavily reliant on crutches at the team facility on Nov. 16, but has since shed the crutches and was spotted on the sidelines during Buffalo’s win over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday.
McDermott has previously stated on Nov. 17 that Milano would “probably not” return this season after his right leg was rolled up on against the Jaguars. But on Tuesday, McDermott was vague on Milano not returning for a potential playoff run.
“It’s hard for me to say because I have not asked (about playoffs) specifically, but the general information I’ve gotten on Matt Milano is that he will not return this year,” McDermott said. “I have not gotten anything different up to this point in regards to Matt’s status.”
Von Miller did not practice due to a family funeral out of town. Defensive ends A.J. Epenesa (rib) and Leonard Floyd (wrist/rib), safety Micah Hyde (neck stinger), running back Ty Johnson (shoulder) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (shoulder) were all limited Tuesday.