5 free agent replacements for Alex Anzalone the Detroit Lions should target

3. T.J. Edwards

Following posting 130 tackles for the Eagles in 2021, Edwards was even better in 2022 with 159 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss. He also played more than 65 percent of the defensive snaps for Philadelphia for the first time in his career (94 percent share; 1,041 snaps). As of Monday Feb. 20, when his contract voided, the 27-year old is officially an unrestricted free agent.

Edwards will have a lot of suitors on the open market, and Spotrac has projected his market value at $11.9 million per year (on a four-year deal). That actually shouldn’t be too hard for the Lions to afford, if they want to, with the ability to clear a lot of cap space.

The Lions have yet to significantly invest in a linebacker with Brad Holmes as the general manager, in free agency or the draft. That’s been due in some part, if not entirely, to other needs on the roster that needed to have more significant resources allocated to them. But Edwards is an ascending player who may break that streak, and he’s someone who should be on the radar in Detroit if Anzalone is in line to be gone.