{"id":801164,"date":"2026-03-08T22:41:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/801164\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T22:41:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T22:41:19","slug":"ben-johnson-could-poach-2-detroit-lions-free-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/801164\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Johnson Could Poach 2 Detroit Lions Free Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Lions<\/a> could soon face a familiar offseason challenge, losing key personnel to the Chicago Bears.<\/p>\n

After Chicago previously hired former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson<\/a>, the Bears may now be eyeing a pair of Detroit veterans when free agency begins: linebacker Alex Anzalone<\/a> and left tackle Taylor Decker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/p>\n

Jalen Reeves-Maybin Dan Campbell Ben Johnson Drew Petzing Lions Chicago Bears Detroit Lions free agency<\/p>\n

Bears Could Target Alex Anzalone<\/p>\n

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Anzalone is a name to watch in Chicago as the Bears search for a replacement for linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who was recently released.<\/p>\n

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Anzalone would make sense for Chicago because of his familiarity with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. The two previously worked together with the New Orleans Saints.<\/p>\n

Fowler noted that Allen values Anzalone\u2019s versatility and coverage ability, traits that could help stabilize Chicago\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo replace Tremaine Edmunds, Alex Anzalone is a name to watch. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was with him in New Orleans and he\u2019s good in coverage,\u201d Fowler reported.<\/p>\n

Anzalone has been a key leader for Detroit\u2019s defense in recent seasons, serving as both a playmaker and emotional tone-setter in the locker room.<\/p>\n

Taylor Decker Also Linked to Chicago<\/p>\n

The Bears could also show interest in Decker, particularly given Chicago\u2019s familiarity with the veteran tackle.<\/p>\n

Decker recently made headlines after requesting his release from Detroit following contract discussions with Lions general manager Brad Holmes.<\/p>\n

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Reports indicated the Lions asked Decker to take a pay cut, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.<\/p>\n

That situation could open the door for Chicago to pursue the veteran left tackle.<\/p>\n

With Johnson now running the Bears\u2019 offense, Decker could be viewed as a short-term solution at left tackle, particularly as Chicago continues reshaping its offensive line.<\/p>\n

Lions Could Face Division Rival in Free Agency<\/p>\n

For Detroit, the possibility of losing players to a division rival adds another layer of intrigue to the upcoming free agency period.<\/p>\n

The Lions have worked hard to build a roster capable of competing for championships, but keeping key veterans away from NFC North opponents will also be part of the challenge.<\/p>\n

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If Chicago ultimately lands either Decker or Anzalone\u2014or both\u2014the Bears could once again benefit from Detroit\u2019s talent pipeline.<\/p>\n

The post Ben Johnson Could Poach 2 Detroit Lions Free Agents<\/a> appeared first on Detroit Sports Nation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Lions could soon face a familiar offseason challenge, losing key personnel to the Chicago Bears. After…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":801165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[6291,1035,391,8897,146,113,2506,7,6388,147,896,55,6,19192,3394,7401],"class_list":["post-801164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-lions","tag-alex-anzalone","tag-ben-johnson","tag-chicago-bears","tag-dennis-allen","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-lions","tag-detroitlions","tag-football","tag-jeremy-fowler","tag-lions","tag-new-orleans","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-nfl","tag-taylor-decker","tag-the-bears","tag-tremaine-edmunds"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116195971059289051","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/801165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}