Detroit Lions Sign New Defensive End, Waive OL Leif Fautanu

The Detroit Lions announced a pair of roster moves on Tuesday afternoon.

Offensive lineman Leif Fautanu was officially waived and the defense targeted a new defensive lineman, signing Keith Cooper, who played collegiately with the Houston Cougars.

Cooper was an invitee to the Lions rookie minicamp as an undrafted free agent and instantly made his presence felt.

The talented defensive end was forceful and regularly in the backfield, showcasing his pass-rush skills on multiple occasions at practice last Friday.

Playing collegiately, Cooper secured 119 combined tackles, 14 sacks and 26 tackles for loss. He began his career at Tulane and played three seasons there before transferring to Houston for the 2024 season. In 2024, he recorded 3.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss.

After drafting Ahmed Hassanein, general manager Brad Holmes indicated the team would not just stop pursuing defensive ends, which is a strong position of need for Kelvin Sheppard's defense.

Cooper Jr. will battle with the 2025 sixth-round pick, Mekhi Wingo, Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike and veteran Marcus Davenport for a roster spot and playing time.

Fautanu only allowed 10 pressures on 456 pass-protection snaps last season and earned a pass-blocking grade of 80.9 from Pro Football Focus.

Detroit had rookie Tate Ratledge taking early snaps at center. Fautanu's path to making the team seemed challenging, given the team drafted multiple offensive linemen.

After rookie minicamp, the team has also signed tight end Luke Deal, wideout Malik Taylor, and defensive lineman Raequan Williams, who played collegiately at Michigan State.

The team also parted ways with tight end Caden Prieskorn.