Detroit Lions Try Out Three Defensive Players

On Friday, the Detroit Lions tried out a trio of defensive players: defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi, and cornerbacks Ryan Cooper and Anthony Kendall. As of Saturday morning, none of the three have signed with the team, but we’ll see if Detroit makes a move during their day off in preparation for Sunday’s training camp practice.

Fatukasi is an eight-year veteran with 90 games and 64 starts of experience. Though he lost most of his 2025 season to a shoulder injury, he started a combined 55 games in the previous four seasons. At 6-foot-4, 318 pounds, Fatukasi is a capable nose tackle who, at his peak, posted some of the best PFF run defense grades in football (81.6 in 2019, 80.1 in 2020). However, he has not graded out paritcularly well in that category as of late (61.0 in 2023, 32.4 in 2024).

Detroit could be in the market for a nose tackle type of player, depending on the reason for Aidan Keanaaina’s absence during Friday’s practice. At this point, it’s not entirely clear if he’s even dealing with an injury.

Cooper went undrafted in 2024, bounced around a handful of teams over the past two years, and spent last season playing cornerback for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions. There he posted 25 tackles, four pass breakups, and an interception in nine game appearances.

Kendall went undrafted in 2023, and played for two seasons with the Tennessee Titans—making all 16 of his NFL game appearances during his rookie season as a core special teamer (323 snaps). He has yet to make the field since, despite stints on the Ravens practice squad and the training camp roster with the Browns in 2025.

Kendall was a small-school prospect, playing cornerback at Baldwin Wallace in college. He’s put up decent athletic scores and production in his final year in college: 15 pass breakups, three interceptions, 56 tackles, and four tackles for loss.