The Bills' defensive front quickly took shape Tuesday Gerald Everett Jersey , when Star Lotulelei agreed to sign with Buffalo, and Kyle Williams chose to return for a 13th season by saying the he never entertained any thought of retiring.

A person familiar with the situation confirmed to The Associated Press that Lotulelei reached an agreement to sign a five-year contract with the Bills. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the signing the former Carolina Panthers starter won't become official until the NFL's business year opens on Wednesday.

The agreement was first reported by ESPN.

A few hours later, the Bills announced agreeing to a one-year, $6 million deal to re-sign Williams, who revealed his plan all along was to return.

"As eloquently as I can put it, I haven't exhausted myself in pursuit of what my dream is of playing this game, or playing for this organization and chasing being a champion," Williams said during a conference call. "Buffalo is my home. It's where I want to be. It's where I want to win. And I couldn't be more excited."

The moves bulk up Buffalo's defensive front by filling both tackle starting positions a day before the start of free agency.

Just as important, the Bills retained a steadying presence in their locker after losing veteran center Eric Wood, who was diagnosed with a career-ending neck injury in January.

Williams was an unquestioned leader on a patchwork, rebuilding team that exceeded expectations with a 9-7 record and ended a 17-season playoff drought. The 34-year-old is so highly regarded, coach Sean McDermott would grow emotional in discussing what the player meant to the team.

"It's hard not to gravitate toward a guy like that, because of who he is as a person more so than anything," McDermott said of Williams in December. "How could you not like the way he plays and appreciate that, right?"

Williams returns to his familiar spot in the middle Niles Paul Jersey , which he's held since being selected in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. And he'll be playing alongside the 28-year-old Lotulelei, who takes over after Buffalo traded Marcell Dareus to Jacksonville in October.

"I'm all for bringing on as many good football players as we can," Williams said, referring to Lotulelei.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 311 pounds, Lotulelei was a five-year starter with Carolina after being selected by the Panthers in the first round of the 2013 draft out of Utah.

The native of Tonga is reunited with McDermott, who was Panthers defensive coordinator before taking over in Buffalo in January 2017. Bills general manager Brandon Beane is also familiar with Lotulelei and played a role in drafting him after previously serving as Panthers assistant GM.

Lotulelei has forced two fumbles and has 11 1/2 sacks in 76 career games, and was voted to the NFL all-rookie team in 2013. His future in Carolina was uncertain after the Panthers signed defensive tackle Kawann Short to a five-year, $80 million contract extension last offseason, and also used a first-round pick for Vernon Butler last year.

Williams is a one-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection. He showed no signs of slowing last year, with 41 tackles and three sacks in starting all 16 games. Overall, his 43 1/2 sacks are the most by a defensive tackle in franchise history.

Williams has no expectation of taking on a diminished role after leading Buffalo's defensive linemen by playing 758 snaps last year.

"I prepare myself to play as many as I possibly can because mentality-wise, I feel like we're a better football team when I'm on the field," he said. "I'm coming back to play. I'm not coming back to say, 'Oh, hey listen Chris Baker Jersey , I'll just play 25, 30 snaps a game and let you guys fight over the rest.'"

Buffalo's defensive front seven has numerous needs with starting linebackers Preston Brown and Ramon Humber eligible to become free agents. The Bills finished 26th in yards allowed and gave up 140 or more yards rushing eight times, including a 10-3 loss to Jacksonville in the AFC wild-card playoff game.

Lotulelei's addition is the latest bold move made by Beane in reshaping Buffalo's roster since being hired in May to replace Doug Whaley.

Beane has already completed two trades over the past week in dealing quarterback Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland and sending starting offensive tackle Cordy Glenn to Cincinnati. Buffalo moved up nine spots in the first round by acquiring the Bengals' selection, 12th overall, as part of the Glenn trade.

The deals continued strengthening Buffalo's bid for selecting one of several highly regarded quarterback prospects in the first round next month. The Bills have two picks in each of the first three rounds, including the 22nd selection.

Williams backed the moves.

"It goes back to really believing in and trusting what Brandon and Sean are doing," Williams said. "I believe in their vision of what they've trying to build. And so for me, I'm on board with what they're doing."

>The Latest on the NFL playoffs on wild-card weekend (all times EST):10:50 p.m.The Atlanta Falcons got two more field goals from Matt Bryant to take a 19-10 lead against the Los Angeles Rams in their wild-card game.Bryant had kicks of 25 and 54 yards as the Falcons controlled the clock in the third quarter.He kicked field goals of 29 and 51 yards in the first quarter.The Falcons got the kickoff to open the second half and, behind Matt Ryan, used half of the third quarter on a 16-play, 76-yard drive capped by Bryant’s 25-yarder.Ryan kept the drive alive on a sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Rams 21.Earlier, he hit Tevin Coleman for 14 yards on a screen pass on third-and-9.Jared Goff had a nice 25-yard pass to Robert Woods but the Rams’ drive fizzled on an incompletion by Goff and a drop by Todd Gurley.The Falcons then drove for Bryant’s 54-yarder.鈥?Bernie Wilson reporting in Los Angeles.10 p.m.The Los Angeles Rams scored 10 points in the final 2:34 of the first half to pull to 13-10 against the Atlanta Falcons in their wild-card playoff game.After rookie Cooper Kupp made a nice over-the-shoulder catch of a 14-yard scoring toss from Jared Goff, the Rams got the ball back with 1:15 left and no timeouts.Goff led them 67 yards in six plays, with the drive capped by Sam Ficken’s 35-yard field goal with 3 seconds left.The drive was kept alive by a pass interference call against Blidi Wreh-Wilson followed by Goff’s 38-yard pass to Robert Woods.The Rams benefited from a replay that added 8 seconds to the clock, but they still had to settle for the field goal.After a halftime concert by Snoop Dogg John Elway Jersey , the Falcons were to receive the second-half kickoff.鈥?Bernie Wilson reporting in Los Angeles.9:45 p.m.The Los Angeles Rams finally showed some life in their first playoff game in 13 years and closed to 13-7 late in the second quarter of their wild-card game against the Atlanta Falcons.Rookie Cooper Kupp made a nice over-the-shoulder catch of a 14-yard scoring pass from Jared Goff with 2:34 to go before halftime.The big play on the drive was a 26-yard run by Todd Gurley, with 15 yards tacked on after Ricardo Allen shoved Gurley after he’d gone out of bounds.The crowd chanted “M-V-P! 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He kicked a 51-yarder on Atlanta’s next possession.鈥?Bernie Wilson reporting in Los Angeles.8:15 p.m.The NFL playoffs returned to Los Angeles for the first time in a long time when the Rams hosted the Atlanta Falcons in a wild-card game.The Rams are hosting their first playoff game in the Coliseum since Jan. 7, 1979, when they lost 28-0 to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC championship game.They’re hosting their first playoff game in Southern California since Jan. 4, 1986, when they beat the Cowboys 20-0 at Anaheim Stadium.First-year coach Sean McVay, who has presided over the Rams’ stunning turnaround from 4-12 to 11-5, was born 20 days after that game.The Rams moved to St. Louis after the 1994 season and won their only Super Bowl on Jan. 30, 2000 AJ McCarron Jersey , by beating Tennessee 23-16 in Atlanta.They moved back prior to the 2016 season.Until Sunday, the previous NFL playoff game at the Coliseum was on Jan. 9, 1994, when the L.A. 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