Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills swapped out a defensive back for a linebacker on their practice squad, signing linebacker Otis Reese IV on Tuesday. To make room for Reese on the practice squad, they released defensive defensive back Jalen Kimber.
Reese, 27, originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, signing with the Tennessee Titans following the 2023 NFL Draft. In two seasons on Tennessee’s roster, he played in 20 games, starting five. He has 38 career tackles with one tackle for loss and one interception in his career. The Titans waived him in August, and he’s been a free agent since.
Reese played safety in college, but converted to linebacker with the Titans. At 6’3” and 214 pounds, he certainly fits the mold of the undersized linebackers Buffalo deploys. Matt Milano (listed at 223 pounds) and Terrel Bernard (listed at 224 pounds) are among the lighter linebackers in the league, and Buffalo’s heaviest linebacker on the roster is reserve Joe Andreessen, listed at 232 lbs.
Reese profiles similarly to practice squad linebacker Keonta Jenkins, who was also a safety in college. Jenkins, who is 6’3” and 219 pounds, has already been elevated from the practice squad twice, so the Bills can only elevate him once more before they would have to sign him to the 53-man roster. Jimmy Ciarlo, listed at 225 pounds, is the team’s other practice-squad linebacker.
Kimber, 24, joined the Bills’ practice squad in August after he, too, was waived by the Tennessee Titans. He had signed with Tennessee as an undrafted rookie free agent in May.
