BREAKING NEWS: Buffalo Bills Make Key Linebacker Moves Amid Injury Crisis
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.
3 Lightning Standouts From Orlando Game vs Panthers
Another annual preseason bout in Orlando has come and gone, and the Tampa Bay Lightning took down the Florida Panthers at the Kia Center, 3-2. Like last preseason, the Lightning pulled out a one-goal win.
With the game now in the books, let’s look at some standouts and bring their performance into the greater scope of the preseason. This list does not reflect the three stars of the game. The goal is to dig a little deeper and explore a player’s significance beyond just this night’s performance.
Jakob Pelletier
So far, Jakob Pelletier looks like a promising addition for the Lightning. He scored his second goal of the preseason to pick up the team’s third and game-winning score on the night. He’s gotten himself on the scoresheet twice in three games played.
Both of his goals have come in clutch situations, with his first being a game-tying goal against the Nashville Predators on Sept. 23. It bodes well for someone looking to crack the NHL roster out of camp.
Pelletier is a 2019 first-round pick who is looking to finally find his footing in the NHL. With Nick Paul out with an injury for the first month of the season, the door is wide open for playing time to start the season. So far, he’s made a nice impression, sticking around as other players fall victim to roster cuts in training camp.
Even beyond filling in for an injury, seeing Pelletier succeed now is a promising sign for improving depth across the forward lines. The top-heavy Lightning could have a chance to strengthen the bottom six if Pelletier can be unlocked.
Oliver Bjorkstrand
Each time he gets on the scoresheet should help build the excitement for what the Lightning can get out of Oliver Bjorkstrand. The 30-year-old forward opened the scoring in the game with a power-play goal in the first period. It was the lone special teams goal from either team, and he earned the first star on the night.
He fired a game-high five shots in the game, doing his best to put the pressure on. In total, he’s tallied two goals and two assists for four points on the preseason campaign.
The Lightning picked up Bjorkstrand, alongside Yanni Gourde, ahead of last season’s trade deadline. However, he saw his season come to an early end due to developing compartment syndrome. The ailment kept him out of playoff action, which created a crucial what-if following another first-round exit. Another solid night during the preseason provides promise that he’ll have a chance to be the impact player the Lightning hoped he would be this upcoming season.
Darren Raddysh
The 29-year-old defenseman did what he could to get in on the scoring action in Orlando. He assisted on Bjorkstrand’s goal and fired four shots on net during the game. So far in the preseason, he has a goal and two assists for three points.
Over the last two seasons, Raddysh has become a bigger factor in the scoring game, picking up at least 30 points and 20 assists each time. In 2024-25, he set a career high in points with 37 despite playing nine fewer games than the previous season.
His points per game went up from 0.40 in 2023-24 to 0.50 in 2024-25. So far, he’s picked up where he’s left off. Seeing that consistency early on should help build confidence in the Lightning’s scoring depth.
The Lightning are seeing production without the assistance of their top stars in the preseason. It’s not a fully guaranteed sign that they’ll look this good in the regular season. After all, competition will be different, and fully NHL-level talent. That being said, games such as this one help give the team an idea of what they can potentially expect in the regular season and help decide who is most likely to make an impact. Play well now, and you’ll have a chance to prove you can keep it up in the regular season.
