The laugh said it all.

Alex Anzalone walked off the field in Allen Park on Saturday, July 26, after his first practice of training camp to a crowd of waiting reporters.

Does this mean there has been movement on a new contract, one reporter asked?

"No," Anzalone said with a dismissive laugh. "This is just a rehab progression."

Anzalone, who went public with his desire for a new contract this week, missed the first five days of Detroit Lions practice with a mild hamstring injury he said he suffered during the team's conditioning test.

He took part in the team's pre-practice walk-through and individual drills, but sat out the team portion of practice, the first one in front of fans.

Anzalone said his hamstring felt "fine" and it was "good" to be back on the field with teammates, but offered little insight into when he'd return full time.

He said he planned to meet with trainers after practice and figure out the next step in his rehab. The Lions are off Sunday and have two practices next week before heading to their preseason opener Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame Game.

Neither Anzalone nor most other starters are expected to play in the exhibition.

At one point during Saturday's practice, a group of fans broke into an "An-za-lone" chant. And when the linebacker signed autographs after practice, more fans chanted, "Pay the man."

A four-time captain, Anzalone led the Lions and set career-highs in tackles in 2021-23. He missed seven games with a broken forearm in 2024 and the Lions defense struggled in his absence, but he returned to play a key role in the team's division-clinching Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone talks with coach Dan Campbell at practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

He is scheduled to make $6 million in base salary in the final year of his contract.

"You guys know how I feel about Alex, how we feel about Alex," Lions coach Dan Campbell said Friday. "He’s one of our dudes, man. We’ve leaned on him, he’s a productive player. We’re good, still talking. There’s no animosity here, there’s nothing like that, so I’m not going to go into anything else outside of that, but just, we’re going to be good. We’re going to be good. And yes, we’re going to need him.”

Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams also returned to practice Saturday after missing Friday for personal reasons, and Roy Lopez (foot), Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (chest) and Tim Patrick (undisclosed) were back after missing time with injuries.

Safety Kerby Joseph did not practice Saturday, cornerback D.J. Reed sat out team drills and cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver left early to be evaluated for a hamstring injury.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'Pay the man:' Alex Anzalone returns to Detroit Lions practice without new contract