The Buffalo Bills added some experience to their offensive line Thursday by signing former Tennessee Titans right tackle David Quessenberry to a one-year deal.
A 6-foot-5, 310-pounder, Quessenberry started all 17 games in the regular season last year for the Titans, in addition to the team's playoff game against Cincinnati. In 2020, he appeared in 12 games for Tennessee, starting six times.
Quessenberry, 31, has traveled a remarkable road to arrive in Buffalo. Originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Houston Texans in 2013, he played in two games as a rookie before his career was put on pause. In June 2014, Quessenberry was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Amazingly, he beat the odds and made an emotional return to the field in December 2017.
“I don't know if we have enough time to get through the whole story,” Quessenberry said Thursday during a video conference call with Western New York media members. “It's a long, kind of difficult story. But yeah, basically I was diagnosed with cancer going into my second year. … That fight took about three years. That was a mountain I had to climb early on in my career. Thankfully, we beat it and we overcame it. We're in a really good place now. We put a few really good years together and looking to keep that rolling up here in Buffalo.”
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Quessenberry comes from a football family. His dad, David Sr., played for the Naval Academy, as did his brother, Paul. Additionally, his youngest brother, Scott, is currently an offensive lineman for the Texans.
“When we get around (each other), we're competitive,” Quessenberry said. “We play games and we talk football, so, it's kind of unavoidable. Growing up, we never really thought we were going to play in the NFL or anything like that, we just loved to compete against each other and play the game, and here we are.”
Quessenberry has seen the Bills up close the past few seasons as a member of the Titans. Although Tennessee came out on top in the most recent matchup last year, he came away impressed with what he saw from the Bills.
“When I was sitting there watching the last drive of the game in Nashville last year against the Bills, I was like, 'these guys are dangerous. These guys are a good team.' We were battling back and forth,” he said. “When you get that feeling of, ‘man, that's a team that's going down to win the game or driving to win the game or you see the confidence that they have, you know, that's a team that, if I wasn't playing for Tennessee, that's the kind of team I want to be a part of.’ That confidence, you can't fake it. Everybody kind of just looks around and knows, like, 'hey, we're the real deal.' When you experience things like that, it's a pretty attractive team to join.”
Quessenberry figures to compete for the swing tackle job as the primary backup to starters Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown. He has experience playing on both sides of the line, as his six starts in 2020 came at left tackle after Taylor Lewan was injured for the Titans.
“I'm very comfortable there and wherever the team needs me, ready to fill in and bring what I bring,” Quessenberry said.
Analytics website Pro Football Focus had a favorable review of Quessenberry’s play in 2021. He ranked tied for 14th out of 57 tackles who played at least 633 offensive snaps, with a grade of 80.6 (out of 100), according to PFF. For comparison, Dawkins was the Bills’ highest-rated tackle, and he ranked tied for 17th. Quessenberry excelled as a run blocker, with an overall grade of 89.1 that ranked fourth in the league. However, his pass blocking left plenty to be desired, according to PFF. His 61.6 grade in that category ranked 42nd. Quessenberry was also charged by PFF with allowing 11 sacks, which led the league.
Nevertheless, he proved he can be an every-down NFL player, which is no small thing considering what he’s been through.
“That was a mountain that I was climbing the whole time, ever since I got done with my treatments,” he said. “It was something I always believed could happen, but it was the right opportunity and the right time. Basically, having somebody believe that I could do it -- you know, finally I got the chance to play the season before last -- and to be able to stack a season at right tackle is awesome. That's what I want to do and that's what I want to keep doing.”
Earlier this offseason, the Bills signed former Titans guard Rodger Saffold to a one-year contract. He’s not the only former teammate Quessenberry will reunite with.
“There’s a handful of guys that I’ve played with. Rodger Saffold, we’ve played a lot of football the last couple years together,” he said. “Same with Greg Mancz in Houston. DaQuan Jones when he was in Tennessee. Matt Barkley for a little bit last year. Case Keenum when he was in Houston. So, there’s a handful of guys that we know coming in here. Excited to play with those guys again, they’re good friends of mine.”
Being part of a tight locker room attracted Quessenberry to the Bills.
“That's huge,” he said. “The culture is such an important part. … Now, being in the building, seeing everybody working, eating together and communicating, that's the kind of culture I was looking for to be a part of. That’s the culture I think is the best to win games and win championships.”
We’ve signed OL David Quessenberry to a one-year deal! ✍️#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/qzr4uKvSSt
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 21, 2022
