The Detroit Lions expect linebacker Jack Campbell to thrive in the second half of the 2024 NFL season.
Veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone is sidelined for the next six to eight weeks due to a broken forearm.
In his absence, Campbell will step in and be the leader of the linebackers unit. Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske and Ben Niemann also will continue to aid Aaron Glenn's defense.
"First of all, he’s a guy who understands the game. He’s a smart football player. He studies it, he works at it. He was that way when he walked in, though. He’s an instinctive player that really understands ball," Dan Campbell said, when asked about the second-year linebackers leadership role. "So much of it is, where Alex has this, he knows what A.G.’s thinking, they’ve been together long enough to where, we get into this situation, this is what you want, this is how we’re doing it. I think that’s where Jack is, he’s been right in his hip pocket. And he watches that and he learns and he listens.
"We were doing these in spring and Alex wasn’t even here yet. Alex came in a couple weeks later and we were doing these situational scenarios where we’re letting Goff calling it and we’re letting Jack call it on defense," Campbell continued. "So this isn’t the first time he’s had to take a little bit of a role like that. He’s gonna be fine, as far as that. He’ll step right into that and he’ll embrace it and I think you’ll see him thrive.”
After the Lions soundly defeated the Jaguars, the former Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker expressed nobody should "freak out" that Anzalone is out for the foreseeable future.
He spoke to reporters and also shared his reaction to the dominant victory.
The 24-year-old indicated the team was able to bounce back from adversity and executed well defensively.
“I feel like, just after last week, just getting back to what we do and who we are. I feel like we did a good job. And taking lessons we learned from last week, cause they’re super important lessons in adversity and stuff like that, and take them moving forward," said Campbell. "I feel like we went out there and played four quarters of great, three-phase football and just gotta keep going.”
Lions add veteran linebacker to practice squad
With veteran Alex Anzalone being placed on the injured reserve list, the team decided to sign linebacker David Long to the practice squad.
In just a matter of a few short weeks, the 28-year-old went from being in the starting rotation with the Miami Dolphins to finding his role changed to mostly being used on special teams and then eventually released.
Prior to his stint with the Dolphins, the talented linebacker spent four seasons with the Tennessee Titans (2019-2022).
