Alex Anzalone looks incredibly likely to leave the Detroit Lions this offseason, and the Chicago Bears have emerged as a potential landing spot due to the presence of Anzalone's very first defensive coordinator in the NFL, Dennis Allen.
Allen coached Anzalone from the 2017 season to 2020 with the New Orleans Saints. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler referenced that while floating Anzalone as a potential Tremaine Edmunds replacement in the Windy City.
"To replace Tremaine Edmunds, Alex Anzalone is a name to watch. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was with him in New Orleans and he's good in coverage," Fowler wrote.
The Bears' hand was recently forced by Edmunds' contract last week. Releasing him in his contract year opened up $15 million in spending for Chicago, and it cost them nothing, with Edmunds having no more guaranteed money coming his way. While they're not desperate for a pass-rusher, Anzalone brings a little bit of everything to the table. Anzalone is pretty good in coverage, but is at his best cutting off big plays at the source with his ability to spot the ball and track down the ball-carrier.
Signing Anzalone should cost a fraction of what Edmunds would've cost, and it'd bring the Bears an elite fit in the schemes Allen runs.
Alex Anzalone Excels in 4-3 Base Defense
In June 2022, Anzalone was the biggest proponent of the Lions' schematic switch to a 4-3 base defense under Aaron Glenn, saying, "We love it ... Last year we were more in the kind of 'wait and pad our cleats' type of linebacker play. This year it's a lot more aggressive – a lot more downhill. It makes it easy for us to make tackles, make TFLs (tackles for loss) -- things of that nature."
Anzalone has thrived in a 4-3 scheme dating back to his collegiate career with the Florida Gators. Under both DJ Durkin and Geoff Collins in Gainesville, Anzalone was one of the most active tacklers in the SEC.
It's always good to have a green dot helmet signal-caller fully on board with your schemes. Anzalone is not only a vocal leader, but he's a willing one. Chicago had problems across the board in 2025, and discipline was a common theme.
Having a guy like Anzalone in the locker room moves the needle forward. We'll see whether Ryan Poles aggressively seeks this fix in the wake of Edmunds' unsurprising, yet consequential departure.