Story by
Lions sign LB K.J. Britt after injuries to Jack Campbell, Jimmy Rolder
- Story by
- Lions sign LB K.J. Britt after injuries to Jack Campbell, Jimmy Rolder
The Detroit Lions are going outside the organization for help at their depleted linebacker position.
The Lions signed linebacker K.J. Britt off the New England Patriots practice squad on Monday, Nov. 2, ESPN reported.
Advertisement
Britt appeared in one game for the Patriots this season as a gameday roster elevation. He played the 2021-24 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spent last year as a backup with the Miami Dolphins .
The Lions, who play the Patriots next week in Germany, lost two players to potentially season-ending injuries in their win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell remains hospitalized with a neck injury he suffered on the first play of the fourth quarter, and backup Jimmy Rolder suffered a hamstring injury away from the ball on the same play.
Aug 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New England Patriots linebacker K.J. Britt (35) at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Rolder likely will require surgery . The team has not provided any updates on whether Jack Campbell has movement in his extremities.
Advertisement
Dan Campbell said in his news conference Monday the team was considering all options for help at linebacker. Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske are the top candidates to join Derrick Barnes in the starting lineup, Amen Ogbongbemiga has played primarily on special teams this fall, and Joe Bachie could see time off the practice squad.
The Lions also are candidates to make a move at the position before next week's Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline.
"Luckily we have some depth in there with Rodrigo and Nowaske and Barnes, those three guys, and Amen's been up for us, which is good, and then we got Bachie ready to roll, so we may need a little bit of help," Campbell said. "We're looking at everything. We'll adjust as we go. Brad [Holmes] and I will get together here this afternoon, tomorrow and figure some of this stuff out."
Britt, 27, has made 16 starts in his six-year career and had a career-high 72 tackles in 2024. He had one tackle in 14 special teams snaps this season for the Patriots.
Advertisement
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions sign LB K.J. Britt after injuries to Jack Campbell, Jimmy Rolder
