This is the seventh installment of a multi-part series previewing the 2026 NFL free agency period for the Detroit Lions. Teams and agents can legally begin negotiating contracts at noon Monday, March 9, and new contracts can be signed when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 11. Today’s preview: Linebacker.
More free agency previews: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line.
Linebacker
Expected on the 90-man roster: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes
Pending free agents: Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez, Trevor Nowaske, Grant Stuard, Zach Cunningham, Ezekiel Turner
There are three starting positions at linebacker in Detroit’s defensive system: Middle (Mike), weak side (Will) and strong side (Sam). Over the last two seasons, those roles have been held by Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes, respectively. Two of those players (Campbell and Barnes) are under contract for 2026. Campbell is an elite run defender who earned All-Pro recognition last season. Barnes produced 21 pressures and four sacks after the Lions extended him on a three-year deal worth $24 million.
Anzalone is a free agent. He wants to remain in Detroit for the rest of his career and has been pining for a new contract since last offseason. The Lions have been slow to give it to him. During training camp in 2025, Lions GM Brad Holmes said Anzalone, 31, was “getting a little longer in the tooth.” At season’s end, Anzalone reiterated his desires to stay with the Lions. “I don’t think (I can make) it any more clearer than I have,” Anzalone said in January. “We’ll see what happens. It’s not necessarily up in my control right now, so we’ll just wait and see.”
Other free agents at linebacker are Malcolm Rodriguez, Grant Stuard, Trevor Nowaske, Zach Cunningham and Ezekiel Turner. Stuard (375 snaps), a team captain in his first year with the Lions, and Nowaske (329) led the Lions in special-teams participation last season. Rodriguez (160) was right there with them after returning in Week 12 from the torn ACL he suffered in November 2024.
Cunningham only made four appearances in 2025 while dealing with a hamstring injury for most of the season. Turner got hurt in Detroit’s preseason finale against the Houston Texans on Aug. 23. The Lions placed him on injured reserve three days later, ending his season.
With the exception of Anzalone, none of Detroit’s pending free agents at LB are expected to receive significant contracts this offseason, either from the Lions or another team. In terms of who’s most likely to return, you’d have to think the contributions on special teams from Stuard, Rodriguez and Nowaske make them priorities.
Best available free agents
Devin Lloyd, Kaden Elliss, Quay Walker, Devin Bush, Nakobe Dean
If the Lions are looking for a direct replacement for Anzalone, they’ll have to find someone with similar capabilities in coverage. No other linebacker in the NFL last season was asked to play more reps in man coverage than Anzalone (205), and he’s been in the top three each season since 2022. He’s also excelled while doing so; among LBs who were in coverage on at least 350 plays, Anzalone’s passer rating allowed when targeted has been top 12 in three of the past four seasons.
Available linebackers who’ve played similar rates of man-to-man coverage in recent years include Devin Bush (Cleveland Browns), Bobby Okereke (New York Giants) and Alex Singleton (Denver Broncos). Bush, 27, and Okereke, 29, are younger than Anzalone. Their estimated market values, according to Spotrac, are $9 million and $12.1 million, respectively.
Singleton, 32, is older, but the estimated annual cost for his contract ($4.7 million) comes at a bargain.
Pro Football Focus has Bush’s projection at $12 million and Singleton’s at $4.5 million. Okereke does not yet have a projection from PFF, as he was released Thursday.
Looking at some other lower-cost options, Justin Strnad (Denver Broncos) and Akeem Davis-Gaither (Arizona Cardinals) are worth keeping track of, especially if the Lions plan on drafting a rookie linebacker. Both players have experience (at least 80 appearances apiece) and could bridge the gap until a young player is ready to assume the weak-side role.
Something else to consider is the possibility of the Lions moving Barnes from Sam to Will. In this situation, they’d need to add a linebacker who can contribute as a pass rusher to fill in for Barnes at Sam. Eric Wilson (Minnesota Vikings) and his 37 pressures are intriguing, and his market value ($4.3 million) is extremely affordable.
What’s the move?
A divorce between Anzalone and the Lions could be on the way. There’s clearly a gap in negotiations, and Anzalone hasn’t gotten any younger over the last 12 months. If the front office didn’t want to extend him in 2025, why would they in 2026? He’s been an integral piece of Detroit’s recent success, but with Barnes already carrying a 2026 cap hit of $9.8 million and Campbell on the way toward an enormous extension, there simply might not be enough room in the budget for Anzalone, whose estimated market value is about $7.3 million.
If Anzalone does move elsewhere, it makes sense for the Lions to try and find a discounted replacement, such as Singleton, Strnad or Davis-Gaither. Even if one of those options doesn’t play upwards of 60 snaps a game like Anzalone has done, they can be part of a rotation that also includes Rodriguez and potentially a rookie.
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Free agency preview: Lions’ need at LB hinges on Alex Anzalone decision
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
