“What a cool story for Buffalo”

One of the feel-good stories to come out of the Buffalo Bills’ preseason so far is that of Depew, NY native Joe Andreessen, and even his head coach can’t help but be touched by his journey.

Head coach Sean McDermott spoke about the up-and-coming undrafted free agent linebacker during his media availability on Monday, telling reporters that his story is heartwarming for all of Western New York.

“What a story for Buffalo and all the young football players in Buffalo,” McDermott said. “You get a chance to watch this young man playing for the Buffalo Bills, his hometown team. What a great story for you (and) for the community. He’s worked extremely hard. I mean, I know how hard he works in the summer and what football means to him, and off the field he’s just a phenomenal young man. He’s done a great job on the field.”

Andreessen went undrafted in this year’s NFL Draft after playing his final year of college at the University at Buffalo. He started all 12 games for the Bulls and was the team’s leading player with 90 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one sack, two pass deflections and one forced fumble.

Related: Who is Joe Andreessen? 5 things to know about the Bills’ breakout UDFA LB

Andreessen made an impression on Buffalo officials when he tried out for the team at rookie minicamp in May and signed as an undrafted free agent after completing tryouts. He made a similar impression on Buffalo’s loyal fans throughout the preseason and quickly became a fan favorite. He had a chance to start in place of Terrel Bernard (who sat out at linebacker due to general injury concerns) against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, and he took full advantage of his opportunity.

“We made him the starter and said, ‘Hey, let’s see what he can do,'” McDermott said. “It wasn’t too much for him. He went out there and made plays. Very impressed with what he did.”

Andreessen led the Bills with 12 tackles on Saturday and had two tackles for loss as Buffalo beat the Steelers 9-3 on the road. His performance was highlighted as a bright spot for the Bills and McDermott hopes he can repeat that this weekend.

“We’re excited for him to get another chance this weekend, this time at home and maybe in front of a few more fans,” McDermott said. “It’s a great story and we’re proud of Joe.”

Following the injury to former All-Pro defensive lineman Matt Milano, the Bills are looking to their linebackers to step up and perform, and Andreessen took a big step toward sealing his fate on the 53-man roster against Pittsburgh. He has one last chance to make a strong impression in front of the home crowd on Saturday against the Carolina Panthers.

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