Pats Pulpit
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.
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
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.
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...
