Dan Campbell shines spotlight on possible hidden gem in Lions edge rusher group

The edge rusher position has been the most talked about group over the course of the Detroit Lions' 2025 offseason — and not for a good reason.

There are definitely some concerns with the position. Aidan Hutchinson is coming back from a serious injury, Marcus Davenport is injury-prone, Josh Paschal isn't healthy yet and the team might need a lot out of rookie Ahmed Hassanein.

With the Lions having begun training camp, there's a new name to keep an eye on and it's undrafted free-agent defensive end Keith Cooper, who head coach Dan Campbell brought up unprompted when addressing the media this week.

"Look, we kind of like Cooper. Now, he's a young guy, right? Let's see what he can do," Campbell said, per AtoZ Sports' Mike Payton.

Cooper played some interior defensive line during his days at Houston, but he played primarily edge rusher. According to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, Cooper has been seeing reps both inside and out with the second-team defense in practice.

Cooper's versatility will be huge for his chances of making the roster. The Lions have injury concerns with their interior defensive linemen and edge rushers, and EDGE in particular lacks reliable depth.

The Lions lost Levi Onwuzurike for the season with an ACL injury, and while general manager Brad Holmes did provide a positive update on Alim McNeill, his recovery from a torn ACL could force him to miss games early in the campaign.

Adding to that, 2024 draft pick Mekhi Wingo might not return until September, so there's another path for the 6-foot-5, 280-pound defender to crack the roster.

We already expressed our concerns along the edge, a position we still believe the Lions must look to add to with a significant move, like bringing back Za'Darius Smith, for example.

It's always difficult for an undrafted free agent to make a 53-man roster, but it appears we need to consider the possibility that Cooper breaks the mold.

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