2. LB Alex Anzalone
Yep, a defensive guy who was not coached directly by Staley in Detroit fits here. The Panthers have decisions to make on linebackers Shaq Thompson and Damien Wilson as they search for ways to create cap space, and parting with one or both would leave them a little thin on experience at linebacker. Thompson in particular, with the ability to clear $13.16 million in cap space (pre-June 1 cut), may be gone.
Anzalone had a very rough first season as a Lion in 2021. But he rebounded nicely this year, with a career-high (and team-high) 125 tackles and a rare combination of numbers among linebackers in the league. Functioning as the defensive signal caller for the Lions, his role in this season’s defensive turnaround over the last two months of the season can’t be dismissed. But the Lions should also be considering how they might upgrade from him.
Anzalone has hinted that he will seek a multi-year deal as he heads back into free agency. After not making a lot of money early in his career, and signing back-to-back one-year deals with the Lions, he’s in a solid position to get one somewhere this offseason. If the Panthers thin their linebacking corps of a couple veterans, an easy pivot might be here.