Brandon Spikes Signs with Buffalo Bills

Free-agent linebacker Brandon Spikes has rejoined the Buffalo Bills after sitting out the entire 2015 season. On Sunday, DEC Management announced on Twitter that Spikes agreed to terms with the Bills:

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that Spikes and the Bills agreed to a one-year contract.

Spikes last played with the Bills during the 2014 campaign. He registered 54 combined tackles, one sack and one forced fumble while playing all 16 games. His best season came with the New England Patriots in 2012, when he tallied 92 combined tackles and five forced fumbles in 15 contests.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Aug. 3 that Spikes worked out with the Miami Dolphins, so it's a bit surprising that Spikes signed elsewhere in the AFC East.

Spikes was originally slated to spend last season with the Patriots. He re-signed with the franchise where he spent the first four years of his career, but he lasted less than a month on the roster before he was released due to an off-the-field incident.

Andy Rosen and John R. Ellement of the Boston Globe reported last July the linebacker pleaded guilty in relation to a hit-and-run crash that left three people injured one month earlier. He was sentenced to a year of probation, and his lawyer, Christopher P. Belezos, passed along an apology.

"He is sorry that all of this had to happen," Belezos told the Boston Globe. "It was an error in judgment."

The 28-year-old Florida product didn't receive any further opportunities last season despite the quick resolution to the case, though. Spikes also served a four-game suspension during his free agency, and he will not miss time with the Bills, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.

While Spikes isn't much of a playmaker, he's a reliable tackling presence in the middle of the defense, and he knows the AFC East well, given his prior stints with the Patriots and Bills.