Alex Anzalone is getting closer to returning from his broken arm. The veteran linebacker and Lions team captain was listed as a participant in practice for the first time since fracturing his forearm in Detroit’s Week 11 win over the Jaguars.
The participation status deserves something of an asterisk; the Lions held a non-contact walkthrough on Wednesday, the first session of the Week 18 game prep.
Head coach Dan Campbell talked about Anzalone’s pending return in his press conference before the walkthrough.
“He’ll be out there running around today, so we’ll see how he does,” Campbell stated. “It’s really going to be how he – tomorrow’s going to be, I think, a really big day for us to see where he’s at.”
Getting Anzalone back would be a major boon for the Lions’ struggling defense. He is Detroit’s top coverage backer and has also proven to be a versatile piece for Aaron Glenn’s injury-ravaged defense. The team has tried several different replacement options, including Ben Niemann, Kwon Alexander, Ezekiel Turner and Jamal Adams, with only very sporadic success. Detroit hosts Minnesota for the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs on Sunday.