According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Detroit Lions are signing veteran linebacker K.J. Britt off of the New England Patriots’ practice squad.
The move comes after Detroit suffered two linebacker injuries on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Rookie Jimmy Rolder suffered a season-ending hamstring injury, while Jack Campbell remains in the hospital with a neck injury. No specifics are known at this point about Campbell’s situation, but the team did say that early developments were
“positive.”
Britt was a fifth-round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, and ended up playing 59 games for them over four seasons—including 15 starts. Last year, he was with the Miami Dolphins, playing in all 17 games and starting one. This year, he failed to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster, but they kept him around on the practice squad, and he was elevated for the team’s Week 5 game against the Raiders.
For most of his career, Britt has served as a special teamer. Across just over five seasons in the NFL, Britt has played 1,303 special teams snaps vs. 994 on defense—and he has logged over 250 special teams snaps in four of his first five NFL seasons.
There’s a good chance that will be Britt’s role early in Detroit. With the Lions likely to lean more heavily on the likes of Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, and Trevor Nowaske on defense—with potentially Amen Ogbongbemiga and Joe Bachie mixed in—the Lions will need more experienced depth on special teams and reserves on defense.
Britt should be a relatively good fit in Detroit, as a high-effort player who was a captain at Auburn.
Detroit should have a good handle on who Britt is as a person and player, as he overlapped with current Lions defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers during his entire time with the Buccaneers.
