Patriots Defender Gets Candid on Major Offseason Addition

This New England Patriots defender is very excited about a big addition the team made during the offseason.

Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss (53) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots devoted most of their financial resources to addressing the defensive side of the ball during NFL free agency, and that included re-signing linebacker Christian Elliss to a two-year contract.

During a 2024 campaign in which not much went right for the Patriots, Elliss was actually a pleasant surprise, playing in 16 games and registering 80 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception and five passes defended.

Not only is Elliss excited to return to New England, but he is also pumped about the Pats signing veteran linebacker Robert Spillane, and he is already enjoying his time with the former Las Vegas Raiders star.

“He’s a fun guy to be around,” Elliss said of Spillane. “Just getting to know him right off the bat, he’s energetic. He’s always happy, he’s always excited, you know he’ll get into it make sure everyone’s on the right page. I think that’s something that we look for in especially in the mike linebacker.”

Spillane is coming off of a very impressive season in which he racked up 158 tackles, a couple of sacks, a pair of picks and seven passes defended. He also posted a terrific 87.3 run defense grade over at Pro Football Focus.

The Patriots' linebacking corps was a source of trouble last season, but new head coach Mike Vrabel has made a concerted effort to get lighter and faster at the position heading into 2025. Inking Spillane to a three-year deal was a big part of that.

Meanwhile, Elliss actually entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2021 and spent two-plus seasons with the club before being waived in December 2023. That was when he joined New England, where he appeared in four contests that campaign.

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