As we inch closer to Detroit Lions training camp, it’s time to focus on a player that many have taken for granted in the Dan Campbell era. Linebacker Alex Anzalone has been at the literal center of Detroit’s defense since 2021, and he’s played a big part in both his own personal growth and the development of the players around him.
This offseason, the coaching staff is talking big things for Anzalone, and it could mean earning some long-earned attention coming his way.
Previous previews: WR Kalif Raymond, TE Sam LaPorta, TE James Mitchell, LT Taylor Decker, DE Aidan Hutchinson, DT DJ Reader, DT Alim McNeill, DB Brian Branch, S Ifeatu Melifonwu
Expectations heading into 2023
In our roster preview of Anzalone last year, we noted that while his PFF grade in 2022 (59.2) may not have been great, that wasn’t a good measure of his impact on the field. Anzalone got wild praise from coach Dan Campbell: “(2021) was the best that I’ve seen him play and this year (2022) is even better.”
After a tricky 2021 season that resulted in a lot of overcompensating and rough tackling stats, Anzalone rebounded in 2022 thanks to an improving linebacker room. Anzalone, of course, deserved a ton of credit for that, seeing as he was the “quarterback” of the defense with the responsibilities to communicate the proper alignment and assignments to his teammates.
But going into 2023, there was a possible changing of the guard happening. After drafting Jack Campbell with a first-round pick, the Lions clearly intended on having a new MIKE linebacker of the future. The question was whether Campbell would take over immediately, or if Anzalone, the incumbent, would carry that role.
It quickly became apparent that the Lions weren’t going to wait. Anzalone was to move to the WILL linebacker position, while Campbell and Derrick Barnes fought it out for the starting MIKE job.
This was a move that had both Lions coaches and Anzalone excited. Both believed Anzalone was best fit for the WILL linebacker position, and that his game would only continue to thrive there.
“I can play MIKE at necessity, but I’m more of a WILL linebacker,” Anzalone said prior to Week 1. “And the ability to play a little bit more in space and coverage and not necessarily truly in the box—I’m excited.”
Actual role in 2023
Note: Stats are regular season only unless otherwise stated
16 games (16 starts)
Stats: 129 tackles, 7 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 6 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery
PFF grade: 68.1 (42nd out of 89 LBs with minimum 234 snaps)
PFF run defense grade: 67.6 (48th out of 89)
PFF coverage grade: 65.7 (37th out of 89)
PFF pass rush grade: 72.7 (27th) out of 89)
Last year saw Anzalone set personal records across several different categories. To begin with, he played the most snaps he’s ever played in a season, including playoffs. His 68.1 PFF grade was the highest of his career since becoming a full-time starter, and his combined PFF grade with the regular season and playoffs (69.8) was the highest ever for Anzalone.
He also set career highs in pressures (30), run stops (57—23 more than any other year), tackles (129), and sacks (3.0), In short, Anzalone had the best year of his professional career, and he deserves plenty of credit for Detroit’s stark turnaround in their run defense.
“There’s a number of ways that he’s grown,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said in January. “I love that player. He’s helped us at the defense. I just love everything about Alex.”
Additionally, don’t overlook the mental obstacles Anzalone faced in 2023. His parents were caught in the middle of the conflict in Israel, his daughter was born in the middle of the season, he had mid-season thumb surgery, and—as he revealed to me in an interview in our Pride of Detroit Direct newsletter—he was dealing with other issues.
“That’s not even the half of it, really,” Anzalone said.
As the year progressed, Anzalone started to get more and more national attention. One of the most respected NFL minds, Greg Cosell, called Anzalone a top-five linebacker in the middle of the 2023 season, Dan Orlovsky said he was a top-three inside linebacker, and he ended the year as the fifth-alternate Pro Bowler at the NFC linebacker position.
Outlook for 2024
With Anzalone settled in back at the WILL position, and both Barnes and Campbell another year versed in MIKE responsibilities, expectations are sky high for Anzalone in 2024.
“I expect that player to have an All-Pro caliber season, and I mean, why not?” linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard wondered during OTAs. “He’s progressed each year, each year, each year. And in my opinion, Alex is now in the prime of his career, playing some of the best ball he’s ever played. Knock on wood, he’s as healthy as he’s ever been, so why not you? It’s what I tell them all, like, ‘Why not you?’ Why do you have to look to the house(hold names like) Micah Parsons? Why can’t anybody be raving and saying Alex Anzalone?”
From fifth-alternate Pro Bowler to All-Pro player is a significant jump, but there are some reasons to believe it could happen. For one, as many people say, players don’t often get the recognition they deserve until their team is in the spotlight and they’ve put together multiple strong years. The Lions are certainly in that spotlight now, and Anzalone is right in the midst of his best years.
Additionally, he’s going to have a lot of help from his teammates. Not only did the Lions overhaul the secondary—giving Anzalone more confidence that his coverage drops don’t need to be perfect—but he’ll also be one of the biggest benefactors of the addition of defensive tackle DJ Reader.
“Okay, I can get some run-throughs and TFLs (with) guys taking up blocks,” Anzalone siad. “I don’t have to deal with offensive linemen, striking them, and I can just kind of play my game more, like fit on the ball. And then in the backend, I’m going to be able to play a little bit different because I know that corner over there doesn’t need my help.”
Anzalone is confident he’s got a real chance to make that jump this year.
“I feel like I’ve known that’s in me for so long,” Anzalone said. “It’s kinda now being talked about and recognized nationally. Sometimes that’s what it takes to really take that next step as someone that’s had my career path. For me, personally, being an alternate Pro Bowler last year is definitely motivation going forward. That’s just one of my goals personally this year.”
