The Miami Dolphins have made the equivalent of a trade in free agency with a swap of linebackers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The team reportedly agreed to terms Thursday morning with four-year veteran K.J. Britt, with Anthony Walker Jr. taking the opposite route and leaving the Dolphins to sign with the Buccaneers.
Britt joins the Dolphins after spending four seasons with the Buccaneers after arriving as a fifth-round pick out of Auburn in 2021. He was backup at the start of his NFL career but wound up starting 11 games last season when he had a career-high 72 tackles.
Britt did not start the team’s playoff game against the Washington Commanders, though he did start Tampa Bay’s two postseason games in 2023 — against the Philadelphia Eagles and against the Detroit Lions, against whom he had 12 tackles.
For those who put a lot of value in the Pro Football Focus rankings, skip this paragraph because Britt was ranked 83rd out of 84 NFL linebackers in 2024 — ahead only of David Long Jr., who the Dolphins released halfway through the season.
At 25 (turning 26 in June), Britt is four years younger than Walker. He’s also smaller. In fact, at 6 feet, 235, he would be considered undersized by all measures.
Along with playing linebacker, Britt was a mainstay on special teams his first three seasons before he became a starter on defense and this is where he could see his biggest role for the Dolphins considering their two starting linebackers — Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson — are back in 2025.
In his only season in Miami, Walker played 14 games with eight starts, which came after he replaced Long. But Walker found himself replaced as well by Dodson, and he battled with injuries down the stretch.
This continued a pattern for Walker, who hasn’t played a full season since 2020, his final of four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. The PFF rankings also weren’t kind to Walker, ranking him 81st among the 84 linebackers last season.
Another player leaving the Dolphins via free agency Thursday morning was tight end Jack Stoll, who agreed to terms with the New Orleans Saints.
There, he will be reunited with new head coach Kellen Moore, for whom he played with the Philadelphia Eagles in the first seven games last season before he was waived and the Dolphins claimed him off waivers.
Stoll appeared in four games for the Dolphins last season but played a total of only 35 snaps, including only two on offense.
Agreed to terms
QB Zach Wilson (Denver)
G James Daniels (Pittsburgh)
OL Larry Borom (Chicago)
S Ifeatu Melifonwu (Detroit)
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Tennessee)
S Ashtyn Davis (N.Y. Jets)
LB K.J. Britt (Tampa Bay)
Re-signed
DT Matt Dickerson
S Elijah Campbell
OLB Quinton Bell
LB Tyrel Dodson
G/T Jackson Carman
WR Dee Eskridge
Lost to another team
WR Braxton Berrios (Houston)
G Robert Jones (Dallas)
S Jevon Holland (N.Y. Giants)
TE Jack Stoll (New Orleans)
LB Anthony Walker Jr. (Tampa Bay)
Remaining UFAs
QB Tyler Huntley
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
WR River Cracraft
WR Anthony Schwartz
WR Grant DuBose
T Kendall Lamm
G Isaiah Wynn
G Liam Eichenberg
DT Calais Campbell
DT Benito Jones
DT Da’Shawn Hand
EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah
EDGE Tyus Bowser
EDGE Cam Brown
LB Duke Riley
CB Siran Neal
S Jordan Poyer
LS Jake McQuaide
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