Allen Park — Shaun Dion Hamilton admits the dynamic is different, but different doesn’t have to mean worse.
Hamilton, entering his sixth year with the Detroit Lions and his second as the team’s linebackers coach, hasn’t yet experienced a season in Detroit without Alex Anzalone, who in 2021 followed coach Dan Campbell and former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn from the New Orleans Saints to the Lions.
Anzalone donned the captain’s patch in each of his seasons with the Lions, serving as one of the franchise’s faces while a new era was being ushered in. He played 4,776 defensive snaps from 2021-25, more than any of his teammates.
Anzalone wasn’t the best player on those teams, but he certainly has an argument for being the most consistent, both in his play and his simple presence in the middle of Detroit’s defense.
Now, Anzalone is out. He inked a two-year pact worth $17 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a lengthy period of contract negotiations with the Lions failed to end with a new deal. Anzalone, 31, said he wanted to retire with the Lions, but also wanted to be paid what he felt he deserved. Holmes was cautious to allocate significant resources to an aging linebacker.
“It for sure has changed, but I think what comes with change is an opportunity for growth,” Hamilton said, discussing how linebacker has been altered since Anzalone’s departure. “So, now you get to see Jack (Campbell), who’s going into his fourth year, you get to truly see the leadership step up.
“He’s not the little brother anymore with the veteran like Anzo. … I get to challenge these guys to be uncomfortable and tap into roles that maybe we hadn’t done in years past.”
Campbell’s on-field production took off in 2025. He led the Lions in total tackles (176) while also chipping in five sacks, 17 pressures, four pass deflections and three forced fumbles, as well as a league-best 44 run stops, which are tackles against the run that result in a failed play for the opposing offense.
Campbell became Detroit’s first linebacker since Chris Spielman in 1991 to received All-Pro honors from the Associated Press as a member of the first team.
Asked why he’s confident in his linebackers being a defining strength of the defense, Hamilton pointed to Campbell.
“He’s the anchor, he’s the safety net, I would say, in our defense,” Hamilton said. “He’s the man in the middle. … I told Jack, ‘We’re gonna go as far as you take us, brother.’ Jack has to be the safety net, the calming presence, the alpha male, as far as in the defense. Everything goes through him.
“He has to be the voice for everything, and we’ve been putting a lot on him since we got here (for OTAs and mandatory minicamp), and for sure, he’s showing us, ‘OK, I can grasp (this), I can withstand all this.'”
The Lions rewarded Campbell with a massive extension this offseason, putting him under contract through the 2030 season. The average annual value of his new deal ($20.25 million) is the second highest among off-ball linebackers in the NFL, close behind what’s being earned by San Francisco’s Fred Warner ($21 million).
Hamilton’s message to Campbell after his extension? Regroup. Reload. Reset.
“Just telling Jack, ‘OK, that was great. Now, it’s more meat on the bone that we’ve gotta accomplish, more goals and stuff like that,'” Hamilton said. “And that guy’s gonna respond every time, like he does.”
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Jack Campbell no longer ‘little brother’ among Lions linebackers
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Richard Silva, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
