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Alex Anzalone and Lions find success together in perfect fit for both - The Athletic

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It was January, and the Detroit Lions’ high of a satisfying win over the Green Bay Packers was soon replaced by the somber reality that the season was over. Knocked out of playoff contention, right when the Lions had discovered how to win, there would be no more football. Players cleaned out their lockers and packed their belongings, as the offseason awaited. But just before it began, a meeting between Alex Anzalone and Lions general manager Brad Holmes took place.

There, the two would discuss Anzalone’s future. The veteran linebacker was set to hit free agency in search of a multiyear deal after a career season. Holmes informed Anzalone that he’d have options based on how he performed. He told Anzalone he appreciated what he had done for the franchise — one of the first external free agents signed when this regime took over in 2021 — and that, should he want to be a part of it, the Lions would welcome him back with open arms.

Two months later, when free agency opened, Anzalone’s agent fielded calls from roughly 10 teams. Anzalone knew where he wanted to be, though. He saw what was coming because he’s been here from the beginning. The opportunity to win, and win with Detroit, was too good to pass up.

“It’s something that, as a young player, you want,” Anzalone said, after re-signing with the Lions in March. “I was finally able to attain that. Just to be a part of something special like this is important to me and my family. To win in this city is going to be the focus.”

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Anzalone is the latest example of the Lions (5-1) trusting their own evaluation process, rather than listening to the opinions of those outside their facility. The Lions’ decision to re-sign Anzalone to a three-year, $18.75 million contract was met with questions. Anzalone has never been viewed as a top linebacker in the NFL. He had the second-most missed tackles in the league in 2021 and the 10th most last year. Detroit’s defense has finished toward the bottom of the league in several statistical categories in Anzalone’s first two seasons with the team. He had his moments, but the week-to-week consistency escaped him.

This was a deep free-agent linebacker class, headlined by Bobby Wagner, Lavonte David and Tremaine Edmunds — all of whom have Pro Bowls under their belts. The Lions could’ve looked to potentially upgrade. But they knew what Anzalone meant to them. He was their guy.

“He’s the field general,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who was part of a New Orleans Saints staff that selected Anzalone in the third round of the 2017 draft, said last month. “He knows this defense like the back of his hand. … I would say that’s his strong point.”

“Alex is one of our captains,” head coach Dan Campbell said. “He’s been a guy going on three years around here that those guys look up to and we rely on. He’s one of our guys. He’s a bell cow on defense.”

In re-signing Anzalone, the Lions looked beyond the present and projected toward the future. Anzalone has played with Glenn for every season of his career. He was brought to Detroit in Year 1 of a rebuild to set the tone in the locker room and run Glenn’s defense. While there were struggles along the way, the Lions believed Anzalone was capable of anchoring one of the better defensive units in the league, that his game would grow with added help, that his best football was ahead of him.

They were right.

“I’ve been lucky to play with him now for three years and seeing him grow, seeing him play as well as he is right now — I said it a few weeks ago — it’s the best I’ve ever seen him play,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. “I’ve played against him and with him now and he’s certainly the igniter over there on defense and he’s a hell of a leader, he’s a hell of a dude. (He) practices hard every day, comes to work with a smile on every day, no matter what. I think back to some of the hard times and he was always the guy with a good attitude, putting things on his shoulders and (he) deserves a lot a credit for how they’re playing right now.”

It’s not a stretch to say Anzalone is playing the best football of his career. He ranks 14th among linebackers in PFF stops with 19 in six games, on pace for roughly 54 this season. For context, Anzalone had 34 stops in 17 games a year ago. He’s tied for the second-most pass breakups among linebackers, with four. His forced incompletion percentage ranks 14th. He’s seen the third-most targets among linebackers, and ranks 21st in reception percentage. His PFF coverage grade of 75.0 ranks 16th among linebackers.

The last three weeks, in particular, Anzalone has been nothing short of stellar. His overall PFF grade of 88.2 from Weeks 4-6 ranks fourth among qualified linebackers. He’s earned above-average grades in run defense (80.9) and coverage (86.1). He has generally performed like one of the best linebackers in the league this year, on a defense that ranks seventh in the league in yards allowed and ninth in scoring. It’s all the more impressive, considering what he’s played through recently.

On Oct. 2, Anzalone’s parents, Sal and Judy, were part of a group of 53 that set out for a trip to Jerusalem with their Naples, Fla.-based church. As attacks unfolded in Israel beginning on Oct. 7, the group searched for ways to make their way back to America. Anzalone was able to receive updates from his parents, but didn’t know how long it would take for them to return home safely or the severity of their situation. The Lions had a game against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 8, and he didn’t tell his coaches or teammates about the situation ahead of it.

But last Thursday, the group was able to safely fly home to Florida, just days before Anzalone and the Lions would take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the state where his parents reside.

That’s what made Sunday’s game all the more special. Not only did Anzalone turn in one of the better performances of his Lions tenure — nine tackles, two passes defended and a career-high six stops — he was able to reunite with his parents, have dinner with them Saturday night and hug them after a 20-6 win.

“For me, it’s a little homecoming,” Anzalone said after the game. “I have a house here in Clearwater. I train with a lot of these Bucs players here in Tampa. I played at Florida. My parents were here. Just a good vibe going into the game. There was no way I was gonna play bad today.”

“I know that that was a load off for him, obviously, to get his parents back here,” Campbell said. “He is an extremely smart football player and he is playing as physical as I’ve ever seen him and he’s playing at a very high level. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find backers that are playing better than him right now in this league.”

In many ways, Anzalone is a perfect fit for this Lions team. He’s a versatile linebacker, able to play the middle or weakside backer positions on Detroit’s defense. He answers the tough questions when the team isn’t playing well, keeps the focus when it is, and puts things into perspective as a player who’s been here from the beginning and has grown with the franchise.

His development is a testament to patience and an example of the success the Lions have had in acquiring — and retaining — guys who fit what they’re all about.

(Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)

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