Christian Elliss

From 26 tackles his first 3 seasons to 169 across 2024-2025 — the Patriots found a tackling machine in plain sight.

Elliss went undrafted in 2021 and bounced between practice squads in Philadelphia and New England for three seasons — totaling 26 solo tackles and 11 assists combined (regular season).

Then in 2024 the Patriots gave him real snaps. He responded with 39 solo, 38 assists (77 total). In 2025 he reached new heights: 37 solo + 55 assists = 92 total regular-season tackles — a workload reserved for full-time starters.

Why it matters. An undrafted linebacker who goes from practice-squad afterthought to 90+ tackle starter in year 5 is the kind of roster value the Patriots needed after years of cap crunches.

59.8% of Elliss's 2025 tackles were assists — 3rd-highest rate among high-volume LBs.

Tackle assist rate is a proxy for linebacker role: high-assist LBs are gap-filling system defenders who get to the ball as the second man. Elliss's 59.8% rate in 2025 ranks 3rd among all linebackers with 90+ tackles — a group that skews toward volume starters.

His assist% has climbed every year he's gotten real snaps: from 34.8% in 2023 to 49.4% in 2024 to 59.8% in 2025. The Patriots are deploying him more and more as a cleanup/second-level defender, not a solo tackler.

Why it matters. Tackle assist % tells you how a linebacker is actually being used. A rising rate alongside rising total tackles means Elliss has grown into a specific, valuable system role — the kind that gets you kept on a roster.

Only 3 career TFLs in 5 seasons — a clean-up linebacker, not a blitzer.

Elliss is a classic clean-up linebacker, not a blitzer. Across 5 regular seasons he has just 3 TFLs and 1.5 sacks — all of his sack production came in a single 2024 campaign.

Among linebackers with 100+ career tackles since 2021, the average player has ~20 career TFLs. Elliss has 3. He makes tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage on fewer than 3% of his snaps.

His pass-coverage footprint is growing: 8 career pass deflections, all in 2024-2025. The Patriots are using him in zone drops and he's delivering.

Why it matters. A linebacker with 3 TFLs in 5 seasons is telling you his value is range and clean-up, not pass-rush. That's a specific and sustainable skill set for a scheme that uses two-high looks.

2 forced fumbles in his last two seasons after going zero across 2021-2023.

Through his first three seasons (PHI / NE practice-squad years), Elliss had 0 forced fumbles. In 2024 he forced 1 and recovered 1. In 2025 he added another forced fumble.

A full-time linebacker doesn't automatically become a takeaway threat — most high-volume LBs hover around 1-2 forced fumbles per season at peak. Elliss is now in that conversation, adding 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery across 2024-2025 regular season.

Why it matters. Forced fumbles are one of the few ways a linebacker creates live-ball turnovers. After three years with zero, Elliss adding FFs in consecutive seasons signals he's evolved from a passive fill tackler to an active disruptor.

Elliss's 92 tackles in 2025 rank 43rd among LBs — all on a near-minimum deal.

Brooks, Campbell, White, Wagner — the top of the 2025 LB tackle leaderboard is loaded with former first-rounders and future Hall-of-Famers. Elliss ranks 43rd overall with 92 tackles.

That might not sound like a headline — until you remember he's an UDFA from Idaho earning near-minimum money. New England gets a starting-caliber linebacker at almost no cap cost.

For context, the average LB salary in the top 20 exceeds $10 million per year. Elliss contributes at a fraction of that.

Why it matters. Cap efficiency is real roster building. A team that finds a 90-tackle linebacker on a minimum deal has one of the best value plays in the NFL — and the Patriots need every dollar of cap flexibility they can find.