‘I love his development:’ Young LB is one of Patriots’ most improved players

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‘I love his development:’ Young LB is one of Patriots’ most improved players

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Fri, Dec 12, 2025 ·

3 min read

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FOXBOROUGH – One of the greatest feelings for a coach is when a player develops in front of your eyes.

That's one reason why Patriots defensive playcaller Zak Kuhr is so proud of linebacker Christian Elliss . Not only is the veteran one of the team's hardest hitters , but also one of the Patriots ' most improved players this season.

At the start of this season, Elliss struggled with missed tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, the linebacker had nine missed tackles in the first four games. Since then, however, Elliss has been credited with two missed tackles in his last seven games played.

"Yeah, his arrow is up," Kuhr said. "Christian does a great job of being an ultimate pro. He works day in and day out. He cares a lot. And I think he has truly gotten better week in, week out each week. And the fact that he just cares so much can lead to the growth and all that, but sometimes you gotta be there with them. Let him know, 'Hey, man, it's all right to make a mistake.' I think he's done a great job understanding that. He is the hardest person on himself by far.

"And I think early in the season, you made a mistake or two. He got on himself hard, and I think he's done a great job understanding that's gonna happen. Nobody's gonna grade out perfect. He's playing fast. He's playing aggressive. He's playing within the scheme. Like he's not just going rogue on anything. And I love his development."

Elliss, 26, has had a remarkable NFL journey. This season, he's turned into a dependable starting linebacker for the Patriots' defense.

An undrafted free agent out of Idaho, Elliss was released four times by three different teams as a rookie in 2021. He cycled through Minnesota , Philadelphia and San Francisco before returning to the Eagles

From 2021 to 2023, Elliss played in 31 games for Philadelphia as a core special teamer. He was cut toward the end of the 2023 season, and that's when the Patriots claimed him off waivers.

Last year, Elliss had his best season as a reserve linebacker, finishing with 80 tackles in 16 games while making five starts. This offseason, the Patriots matched an offer sheet from Las Vegas , signing Elliss to a 2-year, $13.5 million contract. The 26-year-old has started 9 of 11 games played and has 68 tackles.

In the last game, Elliss had two thunderous hits against the New York Giants while leading the Patriots with 10 tackles.

For Kuhr, it's been a joy to see Elliss improve as the year has gone on.

"That's why you do it. It's awesome to see somebody who cares so much and goes through maybe some ebbs and flows, but then all of a sudden they hit some consistency of constantly getting better," Kuhr said. "And you see them build that confidence, and you're so happy for that, and that's why you do it."

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