Lions Sign K.J. Britt Off Patriots Practice Squad as Linebacker Crisis Deepens

The Detroit Lions have moved to patch a suddenly threadbare linebacker room, signing K.J. Britt off the New England Patriots practice squad. Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the move in his weekly radio interview on Tuesday, days after the Lions lost two linebackers to injury in Sunday's win over the Minnesota Vikings. All-Pro Jack Campbell remains hospitalised with a neck injury suffered on the first play of the fourth quarter, while backup Jimmy Rolder hurt his hamstring on the same play and is likely to require surgery. The injuries leave Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske as the leading candidates to start, with Amen Ogbongbemiga, primarily a special-teams player, and veteran Joe Bachie, who could be elevated from the practice squad, as the only other healthy options on the roster. Britt, a veteran with starting experience, gives Detroit an immediate body who knows the speed of the league, and the Lions may yet add more before the November 10 trade deadline. Detroit faces the Patriots next week in Germany, a quirk that makes Britt's arrival from New England's practice squad even more notable. For a team with genuine championship ambitions, the priority now is simply getting through the next few weeks without the depth at linebacker being exposed further.