Training camp is less than one month away for the Detroit Lions and things remain up in the air with linebacker Alex Anzalone.
Anzalone made hints on social media during the offseason that he was looking for a new deal as he enters the final year of his contract. Then, he didn’t show up for the team’s voluntary workouts.
We have not gotten an update since then, as the Lions did not hold a mandatory minicamp. So, it remains to be seen if Anzalone is going to hold out of training camp and into the start of the season without a new deal.
If he doesn’t get a new contract, there’s a good chance the Lions won’t retain him in 2025, seeing as how they also have Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes.
If that scenario unfolds, Pro Football and Sports Network’s Brentley Weissman thinks the team will dip into the 2026 NFL draft for his replacement, and that comes in the form of Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen.
“CJ Allen is yet another alpha to add to this Detroit Lions defense,” Weissman writes. “He plays with a physical temperament and is a ‘see ball, get ball’ player. His play strength, instincts, and speed are outstanding at the second level.
“With Jack Campbell already in the fold, the Lions would have two athletic playmakers at the linebacker position,” he concluded.
Allen has spent the last two years playing for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he’s tallied 117 tackles, one sack, one interception and six passes defensed in 28 contests.
According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, Allen is a “rising star” after his first full season as a starter in 2024. Miller describes the 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker as a “downhill attacker.”
One general manager even compared Allen to guys like Fred Warner and Lavonte David when it comes to his instincts, toughness and ability to get into gaps to defend against the run.
The NFC GM believes Allen is a better pass-rusher, though.
Taking a linebacker at the end of the first round might not be a popular pick, especially with the Lions having two good linebackers already on the roster.
However, if general manager Brad Holmes shares the opinion of the aforementioned GM, he could spring for Allen in Round 1.
