The Buffalo Bills are shuffling some of their depth at linebacker, parting ways with a promising young player who joined the team just two weeks ago and bringing back a familiar face.
The team announced on Tuesday that they released linebacker Otis Reese IV from their practice squad. The Bills had signed Reese in late September, adding a player who appeared in 13 games last season and giving a boost to a position that had been hit with some injuries.
The Bills used the open spot on the practice squad to bring back a player with even more experience in Buffalo.
Bills Move on From Otis Reese IV
Reese had come into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2023, converting from his college position at safety to play linebacker in the NFL. Reese showed off some versatility during his time in Tennessee, making the practice squad his rookie season and seeing some time on defense and special teams.
Reese grew in his role last season, making the 53-man roster and playing in 13 of the team’s 17 games with two starts. As SI.com’s Jeremy Brener noted, Reese was known as a versatile linebacker who was a strong contributor on special teams.
“Throughout his career, Reese made 38 tackles and recorded one interception,” Brener noted. He had a chance to earn a starting job with the Titans defense out of training camp, but it appears the team feels better about Cedric Gray or James Williams Sr., both of whom were higher than him on Tennessee’s first unofficial depth chart.
Brener added that Reese was on track to return to the Titans in a special teams role in 2025, but some late additions to the roster at linebacker led the team to waive him.
The Bills used the open spot on their practice squad to bring back Baylon Spector, a linebacker who spent the previous three seasons in Buffalo and started a stretch of games in 2024 when the team was hit with injuries.
Bills Lose Two Linebackers to Injury
The Bills needed some help at linebacker after injuries to Matt Milano and Dorian Williams, leading them back to trusted Spector. The team already signed practice squad linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo to the active roster prior to last week’s game and has just three other healthy linebackers heading into next week’s game — Terrel Bernard, Shaq Thompson, and Joe Andreessen.
Spector has a strong chance of being elevated to the active roster for Monday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, with head coach Sean McDermott hinting that Milano will not return in time. He re-aggravated a pectoral injury that had already kept him out for two weeks, with McDermott saying he is “week to week.”
The Bills are already dealing with other injuries across their defense, including defensive tackle Ed Oliver and rookie cornerbacks Maxwell Hairston and Dorian Strong. The team gave a boost to that position as well, bringing back cornerback Jalen Kimber to the practice squad this week to fill the spot vacated by Ciarlo’s elevation to the active roster.
Bills Part Ways With Versatile LB Just Two Weeks After Signing Him