While the Bucs know that Lavonte David will hold down his role at one of the inside linebacker spots, there is room for variation next to him. On paper, the ideal plan would be to have K.J. Britt as the other starting inside linebacker as the Bucs have SirVocea Dennis, J.J. Russell and potential undrafted free agent Kalen DeLoach waiting in the wings.
Britt had the opportunity to start in four regular season games last season and the two playoff games the Bucs were in as well. Of those six total starts he had 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. Tampa Bay’s last game in the divisional round against the Lions may have been one of Britt’s better showings as he recorded 12 tackles.
Can Britt Play Every Down For The Bucs?
His overall performance was good enough to put him in the running to start this year, however there are some questions about Britt’s coverage ability. Does he have all the tools to be a three-down inside linebacker? Or should the Bucs go to SirVocea Dennis, who has shown great skill in coverage at practice.
The answer to this isn’t direct, but that comes with the fun of Todd Bowles drawing up his defensive schemes. There are so many different formations and personnel that Bowles can use that the traditional every down linebacker may not be totally necessary compared to other defenses.
“Obviously, he (Britt) can play all three downs,” Bowles said at OTAs. “We have so many packages and guys to move around – it’s a little early to determine who will be on what. In one week, he could be, in one week, he may not be, depending on who we’re playing and what we have available. But, he’s ready to play all three downs. I love his maturity. He’s grasping the mental part of the game and becoming the leader of that defense along with Lavonte [David] and ‘Win’ (Antoine Winfield Jr.) and Vita [Vea]. We’re kind of happy with where he’s progressing right now.”
Britt has a very business like approach to the game. He’s regimented, calculated and most importantly prepared. So when he was put into a situation to start there wasn’t a learning curve. He doesn’t need to lobby to coach Bowles or anyone about what he can do, Britt just lets his play speak for himself.
“Just play,” Britt said. “Go out here at practice and just let what I do out here, let it take care of itself.”
Dennis Taking The Ball Away Once Again In Bucs’ Practice
The whole reason there’s even a consideration into rotating the linebackers besides David is because SirVocea Dennis shows a lot of promise in coverage. Last year as a rookie, Dennis impressed during rookie mini-camp and OTAs recording several interceptions. Injuries slowed down his progress in the regular season, but in the limited time he did play, his coverage was on point.
Dennis picked up where he left off at OTAs once again. He already picked off another pass at Tuesday’s OTA practice, getting the attention of the coaches. If he continues to make plays like that, it’ll be tough to keep him away from getting snaps. Bowles would still like him to be a little more consistent.
“He sees them,” Bowles said. “He makes the plays they throw at his feet; he drops the ones they throw at his hands. He’s got to do a better job of catching the layups and not trying to have slam dunk competition plays and just do the easy layups and do the fundamentals right, but he’s doing well.”
There’s certainly a degree of friendly competition as the group lobbies for an important role. But the whole room is motivating each other on a regular basis, which is best for everybody involved.
“We’re tight, those are my brothers,” Britt said. “We talk every day. Each and every day we have an approach of if we ain’t getting better, we’re wasting time. It’s hot, it’s humid, so if we ain’t getting better then what are we doing? The film room isn’t going to lie to us. We have accountability with one another. We just make sure we hold each other accountable because it’s ball at the end of the day.
