The Buffalo Bills are rearranging their linebacker depth chart, parting ways with a talented young player who joined the team only two weeks ago and welcoming back a familiar face.
On Tuesday, the organization announced that linebacker Otis Reese IV was dismissed from the practice squad. The Bills signed Reese in late September, adding a veteran who featured in 13 games last season and bolstering a position that had suffered from injuries.
The Bills used an open place on the practice squad to bring back a player with more Buffalo experience.
Bills Move on From Otis Reese IV
Reese entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2023, transitioning from his college safety position to linebacker. Reese demonstrated versatility during his tenure in Tennessee, reaching the practice squad his rookie season and seeing time on defense and special teams.
Reese expanded his role last season, making the 53-man roster and appearing in 13 of the team’s 17 games, including two starts. As SI.com’s Jeremy Brener highlighted, Reese was a versatile linebacker who excelled on special teams.
“Throughout his career, Reese made 38 tackles and recorded one interception,” he said. He had a shot to start for the Titans defense out of training camp, but it appears the organization prefers Cedric Gray or James Williams Sr., both of whom were higher on Tennessee’s first unofficial depth chart.
Brener stated that Reese was scheduled to return to the Titans in a special teams position in 2025, but due to late roster signings at linebacker, the team waived him.
The Bills used the free place on their practice squad to bring back Baylon Spector, a linebacker who spent the previous three seasons in Buffalo and started a string of games in 2024 when the team was plagued by injuries.
Bills Lose Two Linebackers to Injury
After injuries to Matt Milano and Dorian Williams, the Bills turned to their reliable linebacker, Spector. Prior to last week’s game, the team signed practice squad linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo to the active roster, leaving only three healthy linebackers for next week’s game: Terrel Bernard, Shaq Thompson, and Joe Andreessen.
Spector has a good chance of being added to the active roster for Monday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, as head coach Sean McDermott has hinted that Milano will not be back in time. He worsened a pectoral injury that had already sidelined him for two weeks, and McDermott says he is “week to week.”
The Bills are already suffering with injuries on defense, notably defensive lineman Ed Oliver and rookie cornerbacks Maxwell Hairston and Dorian Strong. The organization also boosted that position by returning cornerback Jalen Kimber to the practice squad this week to cover the space left open by Ciarlo’s promotion to the active roster.