While there were no changes at the top, the New England Patriots completely overhauled the depth at the off-ball linebacker position this offseason. One of the players added as part of that process was veteran K.J. Britt, who joined the club on a one-year free agency contract in March.
A veteran of five NFL seasons, Britt projects to compete for a backup linebacker and core special teams role this summer.
Hard facts
Name: K.J. Britt
Position: Off-ball linebacker
Jersey number: 35
Opening day age: 27 (6/4/1999)
Measurements:
6’0 1/2”, 240 lbs, 31” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, 75 1/2” wingspan, 4.76s 40-yard dash, 32 1/2” vertical jump, 9’10” broad jump, 7.38s 3-cone drill, 4.40s short shuttle, 24 bench press reps, 5.06 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021-24), Miami Dolphins (2025), New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Auburn (2017-20)
A four-star recruit coming out of Oxford, AL, High School, Britt received multiple Power 5 scholarship offers. He eventually decided to play college football just 70 miles from his hometown, enrolling at Auburn University in January 2017. In his four seasons with the Tigers, he appeared in 42 games with 14 starts before a thumb injury forced him to miss the majority of his senior campaign.
Despite the injury, Britt was selected 176th overall in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers. A core special teamer very much from the get-go, he steadily increased his defensive playing time as well. When he left Tampa in 2025 after four seasons and 65 combined regular season and playoff games, he had amassed 959 snaps on defense and 1,043 in the kicking game.
Britt joined the Dolphins as a free agent in 2025, spending one year with the team before taking his talents to New England the following offseason. In total, he has played in 82 games since turning pro.
Scouting report
Strengths: Britt is a throwback linebacker whose best work comes on early downs and in the kicking game. He is densely-built and shoots gaps in the run game with intention and violence. A sure tackler in both close quarters and open space, he initiates contact without being too aggressive for his own good. He reads the game well and is assignment-sound against misdirection, and has the lateral movement skills to flow with zone blocks. Britt’s physicality is also on display as a blitzer and on special teams, where he has vast experience on five units and has constantly found himself around the ball.
Weaknesses: Britt’s athleticism is nothing special and he lacks the range desired from a second-level defender. That is a particular problem in coverage, where he can get shaken by quicker running backs or boxed out by bigger tight ends. While his mind reacts quickly, his body takes some time to follow suit; his acceleration to the ball and speed in backside pursuit are average at best. Despite being physical at the point of attack, Britt’s production as a pass rusher has been lacking (13 career pressures) and he has never been able to push for a regular defensive role since leaving college.
2025 review
Stats: 17 games (1 start) | 148 defensive snaps (13.8%), 334 special teams snaps (77.0%) | 24 tackles, 2 missed tackles (7.7%) | 1 QB pressure (1 hit) | 8 targets, 7 catches surrendered (87.5%), 51 yards, 1 TD | 11 special teams tackles, 1 missed tackle (8.3%) | 2 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: Britt’s first ever trip to unrestricted free agency saw him leave his team of four seasons, the Buccaneers, for a trip across the Florida peninsula: he joined the Dolphins on a one-year, $1.34 million deal in March 2025. The contract put him in a position to compete for rotational spot in what was a crowded linebacker room at the time. He indeed ended up making the cut, but his defensive contributions were limited.
After starting 11 games and playing 54.9% of defensive snaps in his final year in Tampa, Britt played only 13.8% with a single start as a Dolphin. The availability of starting linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson, who missed just one game between them, was a big reason for this decline.
When he was on the field as a linebacker, he looked like he had for most of his career. He was serviceable in the run game but had his issues as a pass defender.
Where Britt did manage to make a regular and positive impact, meanwhile, was the kicking game. He was a regular on five units and finished the season ranked first on the team in special teams snaps (334) and solo tackles (6), while also coming in second in total tackles (11). He did not make any big plays in the game’s third phase, but did help Miami to some solid rankings in the kickoff and punt return categories.
2026 preview
Position: Middle linebacker | Ability: Depth player/Role player/Quality special teamer | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 UFA)
What will be his role? Britt’s role with the Patriots projects to be two-fold. On the one hand, he will provide rotational depth behind starting off-ball linebackers Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, possibly helping replace former No. 3 Jack Gibbens. On the other, he will be heavily involved in the kicking game and see regular action on up to five units: kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return, punt coverage, field goal/extra point block.
What is his growth potential? Entering his sixth season in the NFL, Britt very much is the player that he is. He has some qualities as a run defender and is a good special teamer, but should not be trusted to play regular snaps on defense due to his moderate overall athleticism and lack of high-end coverage skills.
Does he have positional versatility? Britt’s versatility as a defender is limited, but he has proven himself able of handling a diverse role in the kicking game. He can move around positions within each of the five units he plays and provides a steady presence regardless of his alignment.
What is his salary cap situation? The Patriots signed Britt to a one-year, $1.4 million contract in March, but his actual salary cap number is lower than that. That is due to the veteran salary benefit, which allows the team to reduce his cap hit to $1.26 million. The pact itself includes a $1.22 million base salary of which $500,000 is guaranteed. The same is true for his $187,500 signing bonus.
How safe is his roster spot? Britt is no lock to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster, but he is in a good position to earn one of the backup spots behind Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss. He was actively involved during spring practices, and together with Chad Muma seems to form the second layer on New England’s linebacker depth chart heading toward training camp. If he keeps building on this foundation, he should be on the team come September.
Summary: Britt has some deficiencies but the Patriots have the depth at linebacker to help mask those and put him in a position to be successful. While this means his role might be relatively narrow and focus primarily on special teams with some backup linebacker duties mixed in, not everybody can be a starter; a roster needs players like the 27-year-old.
What do you think about K.J. Britt heading into the 2026 season? Will he factor into the linebacker mix? Or will his impact come primarily on special teams? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
