Patriots scouting report: Otis Reese needs to put his money where Christian Elliss’ mouth is

Despite the potential for improvement and multiple departures during the offseason, the New England Patriots did not invest any major resources in their linebacker group this offseason. This will, in turn, make for an intriguing competition come training camp and give relatively unheralded players a shot at a roster spot.

One of those players is Otis Reese, who ended the 2025 season on New England’s practice squad.

Hard facts

Name: Otis Reese IV

Position: Off-ball linebacker

Jersey number: 54

Opening day age: 28 (7/2/1998)

Measurements: 6’2 7/8”, 228 lbs, 8 3/8” hand size, 31 3/4” arm length, 77 5/8” wingspan, 7.38s 3-cone drill, 4.45s short shuttle, 18 bench press reps, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

NFL: Tennessee Titans (2023-24), Buffalo Bills (2025), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Georgia (2018-19), Ole Miss (2020-22)

A four-star outside linebacker out of Lee County High School in Leesburg, GA, Reese received considerable interest on the recruiting trail. Alabama, Florida and USC were among the schools offering him scholarships, as was Michigan, who he initially committed to. He eventually flipped to Georgia, however, and spent two seasons as a Bulldog, playing 25 games with one start as a do-it-all safety and special teamer.

In 2020, Reese transferred to Ole Miss, where he continued to blur the lines between linebacker and defensive back. While his role did not dramatically change compared to his Georgia days, his exposure did: playing in 29 games with 27 starts, he went from 6.5 defensive snaps per game to 66.5. Along the way, he also picked up 198 tackles, 4.5 sacks, a pair of interceptions, and one forced fumble and recovery each.

And yet, despite his college production, his NFL career has been relatively quiet. Reese was not selected in the 2023 draft and joined the Titans as a rookie free agent, playing 20 games over his first two seasons while making the move from defensive back to off-the-ball linebacker. Mostly a special teamer who does have one interception to his name, he last appeared in an NFL contest in December 2024.

Scouting report

Strengths: Measuring just under 6-foot-3 with long limbs, Reese offers good length as a second-level defender. He uses it to his advantage, playing a physical and high-energy brand of football. He is a capable run and pursuit defender, and fills gaps with authority; he also has NFL-caliber strength to take on blockers both on the line of scrimmage and on the move. He is a sound tackler who has shown good vision and, as evidenced by his 7.9% missed tackle rate, has a good finish. In coverage, he can reroute players if he can get his hands on them and is disciplined as a spot-dropper in zone. His versatile experience as a defender and special teamer also is a plus.

Weaknesses: Reese is a tweener who has failed to find a concrete defensive position throughout his career in college and the NFL. While that would not necessarily be a problem if he was an A-grade athlete, he lacks the range, agility and burst to make up for it. His unremarkable speed make pass coverage a challenge, especially in 1-on-1 situations; unless he can mess up the timing as a press defender he is susceptible to getting shaken or out-boxed at the catch point. In general, he lacks bulk and is essentially a linebacker in a safety’s body, but without some of the athletic attributes you would be looking for in a pro-level DB.

2025 review

Stats: N/A

Season recap: After appearing in 13 contests for the Titans in 2024 and ranking fourth on the team in kicking game snaps (228; 50.o%), Reese entered the 2025 offseason as an exclusive rights free agent. The organization decided to play it safe and re-signed him via a one-year contract worth $1.03 million before he could enter the open market.

Despite the apparent show of confidence, however, Reese’s tenure with the club came to an end in mid-August. After dressing for Tennessee’s preseason opener but not playing a single snap in it, he was cut four days later to make space for waiver claim Brian Asamoah.

Reese remained unsigned through roster cutdowns and practice squad creation, and had to wait until late September to find a new home. It came via the Bills, who signed him to their practice squad only to release him two weeks later. Another month passed before a new team showed interest: the Patriots, led by Reese’s rookie head coach in the NFL, Mike Vrabel, added him to their own practice squad in mid-November.

Reese remained on New England’s developmental roster the rest of the season without any game day elevations or other noteworthy developments. He was, however, praised by fellow linebacker Christian Elliss in the lead-up to the Super Bowl as “the hardest look I will ever get” on the punt team. A week later, the Patriots retained him on a futures contract for the 2026 season.

2026 preview

Position: Star linebacker/Big nickel | Ability: Depth player/Role player/Average special teamer | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 RFA)

What will be his role? Reese is listed as a linebacker and has played the position since entering the NFL, but he is more of a hybrid player in the mold of ex-Patriot Marte Mapu (but without the same athletic makeup). This means that outside of a depth role as a second-level defender, he also should be expected to get a heavy look on multiple special teams units.

What is his growth potential? Despite his recent lack of NFL in-game opportunities, Reese does have some qualities worth exploring. That being said, at the age of 28 his room for growth appears to be limited. Maybe returning to the coaching staff that first gave him a shot in the league could help unlock something in him, but any sizable jumps seem unlikely at this stage. He is a depth player and special teamer at best.

Does he have positional versatility? His versatility is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, Reese has played all over the second and third levels going back to his college days, and also brought five-unit special teams experience to New England from his time as a Titans. On the other hand, no team has truly managed to take advantage of this flexibility in three seasons in the NFL and he very much remains that aforementioned tweener.

What is his salary cap situation? The futures contract Reese signed after the Super Bowl is a minimum deal for a player of his experience, and as straight-forward a pact as there is in the NFL: his non-guaranteed $1.075 base salary is also his cap number. He, along with six other players sharing the same cap hit and contract structure, is right on the verge of Top 51 status. Five of those six are currently counted against New England’s cap in full, so if we go by alphabet, Sebastian Gutierrez, Terrell Jennings, Reese, Andrew Rupcich and Jack Westover are in, while Charles Woods is out.

How safe is his roster spot? A former practice squad player on a minimum deal who hasn’t played in any NFL game in almost 19 months? That is textbook roster bubble. Reese will get a chance to compete for a backup spot behind starting linebackers Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, but he needs to step up his game in order to make it onto the 53-man team. The Patriots won’t hesitate cutting him if he does not.

Summary: Christian Elliss speaking highly of Reese ahead of the Super Bowl raised some eyebrows, but the 28-year-old needs to live up to the praise this summer if he wants to make the team or even the practice squad. The competition is wide open, of course, but with K.J. Britt and Chad Muma seemingly taking an early lead, Reese (as well as Amari Gainer, Namdi Obiazor and Khalil Jacobs) needs to up his game quickly not to fall too far behind.

What do you think about Otis Reese heading into the 2026 season? Will he factor into the linebacker or special teams mix? Will he take advantage of his experience with Mike Vrabel? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.