The Buffalo Bills needed help at linebacker, and they didn’t have to look far to find someone familiar.
Before Thursday’s training camp practice at St. John Fisher University, Buffalo signed Otis Reese IV and placed Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles on injured reserve. The roster move gives Reese a second run with the Bills, coming less than a year after his first.
Reese spent two weeks on Buffalo’s practice squad last season after signing on Sept. 23, then was released on Oct. 7.
He later landed on the New England Patriots’ practice squad, signed a reserve/futures contract in February and was waived by New England on July 31. Six days later, he was back in Buffalo.
That kind of move lines up with what general manager Brandon Beane said at the start of camp about the value of keeping tabs on players who have already been in the building.
"That's our job is to keep a running list of players at each position," Beane said. "You're naturally going to lean to someone who you know has done it recently for you and had success."
Reese has not played in a regular-season game for Buffalo, but he does arrive with NFL reps on his résumé. The 28-year-old first entered the league with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and played in 20 games with five starts across two seasons. He finished with 38 tackles and one interception.
That interception came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in December 2024, when Reese stepped into a bigger role after starting linebacker Kenneth Murray was injured.
Before his pro career, Reese played at Georgia and Ole Miss. He wrapped up his college run with the Rebels with 198 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions.
Reese will wear No. 30 in Buffalo.
Flannigan-Fowles’ placement on IR created the opening for Reese. Because the move came before the Bills set their initial 53-man roster, Flannigan-Fowles is not eligible to return this season unless his roster status changes through an injury settlement and subsequent release.
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