PFF: Former Saints pick is NFL's most underrated free agent linebacker

[ASFN Admin]

Could the New Orleans Saints replace Demario Davis with one of his old backups? Pro Football Focus NFL contributor Ryan Smith argues Alex Anzalone is the NFL's most underrated free agent linebacker. You'd think the team would want to get younger at linebacker if they don't bring back Davis, but Anzalone is already past his prime at 31. At the same time they could view it as maintaining a veteran presence in a position group that lacks it. Pete Werner is the most experienced player in the linebacker corps but he's never logged 1,000 snaps in a single season, with just 63 starts the last five years (out of 85 possible games).

So maybe Anzalone could make sense for a New Orleans reunion. Here's why Smith is so high on him:

Anzalone has been a rock in the middle of the Detroit Lions’ defense since he arrived in 2021, playing 1,000 or more snaps in three of those seasons. His first year with the team was the worst of his career (35.4 PFF grade), but he’s been strong over the last three years with a cumulative 71.2 PFF grade over that span.

Anzalone’s biggest area of improvement over the years has been as a tackler, and he’s coming off a year in which his 6.9% missed tackle rate was a career best. He will provide stability and leadership to the linebacker unit for whatever team he ends up with in 2026.

We should expect the Saints to add someone if Davis moves on this spring. Outside of Werner, their only linebackers under contract for 2026 are Danny Stutsman, Jaylan Ford, and Isaiah Stalbird. Stutsman looked the part on a limited sample size but was playing behind Werner for most of the 2025 season. The Saints obviously know Anzalone well (having drafted him out of Florida back in 2017), so he's a name to file away for free agency.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Ex-Saints, Lions LB Alex Anzalone is PFF's most underrated free agent

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