“K.J. [Britt] got a taste last year, he’s a natural leader for us.”

Take it from Bucs head coach Todd Bowles when asked about what K.J. Britt brings to Tampa Bay’s defense. After filling in and getting six starts to close out the regular season and the playoffs in 2023, he is primed to be the team’s other inside linebacker next to Lavonte David in 2024.

While he will be one to keep an eye on throughout training camp as he stakes his claim for the starting job, Bowles will also be keeping a close eye on him – but for a different reason.

If Any Bucs Get Into A Fight, K.J. Britt Will “Probably” Be In The Middle Of It

Bucs ILB K.J. Britt and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

An inside linebacker’s job is to patrol the middle and get in as much of the action as possible.

K.J. Britt takes this to heart, and while he has been a vocal leader for the Bucs since being drafted in the fifth round back in 2021, he also would be the one to get into the middle of an on-field scrum. Todd Bowles does not want to see it, but he knows that if it happens, Britt’s trash-talking will be the likely reason why.

“K.J. has been a leader since he’s been here,” Bowles said on Wednesday. “Even when he wasn’t starting, he’s been a leader. He’s a natural leader. He’s very vocal, he’s probably the most talkative guy on the field. Hopefully, I hope this never happens in camp, but if they get into a fight, I’m pretty sure it’s probably going to be him because he does most of the talking about it and we got to keep a good eye on that.”

That trash-talking is something that All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has noticed as well.

Bucs ILB K.J. Britt and Packers QB Jordan Love – Photo by: USA Today

“He’s a ballplayer, man,” Winfield said of Britt. “He’s a hard-nosed ballplayer, he’s like one of those old-school linebackers, which I love about him. He always has good energy about himself, and you know he’s a leader, he’s vocal and things like that. He’s one of the guys that you want on your team.”

Not only is Britt an old-school physical linebacker who gets his nose to the football, but he also gets his nose in some back-and-forth banter.

Including with quarterback Baker Mayfield, who isn’t afraid of chirping himself.

“He trash talks a lot, especially to Baker [Mayfield], which is kind of funny,” Winfield added. “Even in the locker room, some stuff you don’t hear but it’s funny.”

Even Britt agreed with his head coach’s assessment.

“Probably is,” Britt said of him being the one in the middle of any on-field altercations. “It’s just how I play the game, I play with a little chip on my shoulder. I got a light switch, so I just try to make sure if it’s on I don’t want to be messed with.”

K.J. Britt Wants To Be A Leader – On The Best Defense In The League

Bucs ILB K.J. Britt – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While K.J. Britt’s leadership and trash-talking ability has been established, the question going into this season is if he can establish himself as the full-time starter at inside linebacker.

Britt played well down the stretch last season filling in for the now-departed Devin White, especially in terms of being a steady tackler, but the challenge for him is now taking what he did in a small sample size and extrapolating that over a full 17-game season.

There are plenty of new moving parts on the Bucs’ defense, but at all three levels, there is plenty of high-end talent already in place. As Britt looks to fit into the puzzle, he only has one expectation for the unit.

To be number one.

“My expectation is for us to be the best defense in the league,” Britt said. “That’s what we’re working for, we got all the pieces, we got all the people, we got the want to. We’re going to go out every day and make sure that we’re doing our thing.”

K.J. Britt will be working hard at the AdventHealth Training Center in the coming weeks doing everything he can to prove that he is a starting-caliber inside linebacker. Expect to see him around the ball – and any potential fights.