With the NFL’s legal tampering period set to begin at noon ET on Monday, the Detroit Lions are hoping to bring back veteran defenders Al-Quadin Muhammad and Alex Anzalone. Muhammad is coming off a huge 2025 season with 11 sacks, while Anzalone has been one of the stalwarts on Detroit’s defense for five years.
The thought of losing Muhammad or Anzalone would not be ideal for the Lions’ defense, which doesn’t have great depth at either position. That being said, Anzalone’s departure is becoming more likely, and there’s a chance that he could stay in the division.
On Sunday morning, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote that Anzalone “is a name to watch” for the Bears, who released veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds a few days ago. Fowler made it a point to highlight Anzalone’s ties to Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached him several years ago in New Orleans.
The Lions would dread the thought of seeing Anzalone playing with the Bears. They would rather see him suit up with the New York Jets and play for Aaron Glenn than the defender remain in the NFC North. At least then, he would be out of the division. If Anzalone were to go to Chicago, the Lions would see him at least twice a season.
Lions Suddenly Staring at Bleak Alex Anzalone Reality Before Free Agency
The Bears currently have more cap space ($26.5 million) than the Lions (over $6.72 million) to make a run at Anzalone, per Over The Cap. Spotrac projects the veteran defender’s calculated market value at a two-year, $14.5 million deal ($7.3 million AAV).
Anzalone put together a solid 2025 campaign in what could be last season in Detroit. He racked up 95 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, six quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and an interception.
According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran linebacker was solid as a pass rusher (65.2 grade) and in pass coverage (65.3). His run defense grade wasn’t terrible either (65.6). Essentially, he’s a quality all-around linebacker that the Lions will struggle to replace.
Looking at the free agent linebacker class, Tremaine Edmunds, Bobby Okereke, and Nakobe Dean would all be terrific replacements for Anzalone. But those guys will cost a pretty penny, which the Lions might not be able to afford, considering their needs at other spots. Therefore, Detroit might have to go thrift shopping for a starter or look towards the draft.
The Lions could also take the trade route, which is what the Green Bay Packers did to fill their LB vacancy. The Packers acquired Zaire Franklin from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for Colby Wooden.
Franklin was considered a potential cap casualty and would’ve been a nice get for Detroit if he reached free agency. However, the Packers took the initiative to work out a trade for a veteran to fill an impending void.
Nonetheless, the Lions aren’t in the best spot heading into free agency. With their lack of cap space, there’s only so much Detroit will be able to do, even if they restructure a bunch of deals to create more opportunities to take a swing at acquiring a free agent.
In addition to linebacker, the Lions need to find a new starting nickel CB, a starting left tackle, and potentially a starting defensive end opposite of Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit can’t waste any time, as things will move fast once Monday afternoon rolls around.
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