Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions.
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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell just got more concerning news, as another member of his staff is leaving.
The Detroit Lions found good use for defensive end Tyrus Wheat after claiming him on waivers, but it appears his time with the team is coming to an end.
Christian Booher of SI.com reported that the team did not place a restricted tender on the defensive end, which would send him to free agency and “could spell the end of his tenure in Detroit.” That could leave the team with a big hole on special teams, where Wheat was a stalwart.
Lions Making Significant Roster Moves
As Booher noted, the Lions snagged Wheat off waivers at the start of the season and found a place for him on special teams after he was a healthy scratch two times to start the year. Wheat ended up appearing in 15 games, making 15 total tackles with 1.5 sacks and one pass defensed.
Wheat had the biggest impact on special teams, where he played 215 total snaps.
Booher noted that the move leaves the Lions even more thin at defensive end.
“The Lions currently have just three defensive ends under contract in Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Paschal and Ahmed Hassanein,” Booher wrote. “Paschal is under contract because his deal tolled under a specific CBA provision due to him missing the entirety of the 2025 season with an injury.”
The team has struggled to find a consistent counterpart to Hutchinson, their star defensive end. The Lions did get a big performance from Al-Quadin Muhammad, who had 11.0 sacks last season, but he is slated to hit free agency as well.
Josh Helmer of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted that the Lions would have a good chance to make up for the losses, as there is a deep class of free-agent edge rushers.
“The good news for Detroit? ESPN thinks there’s options this offseason at both edge rusher and at interior offensive line,” Helmer wrote. “In its ranking of the deepest offseason position groups in free agency and in the 2026 NFL draft, ESPN has edge rusher and interior offensive line ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in terms of depth.”
The Lions have already made some big roster moves, releasing veteran offensive lineman Graham Glasgow and trading running back David Montgomery.
Lions Could Find More Edge Rushing Help
Some analysts expect the Lions to address their pass rush in the NFL Draft. Analyst Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports predicted the team would use its first-round pick on Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker, noting that they could benefit from his artificially low draft stature.
“I think Parker is a much better player than the media have portrayed during the pre-draft process,” Wilson wrote. “Some of that has to do with Parker — and the entire Clemson team — not living up to lofty expectations in 2025. Still, he finished with a flourish and reminded everyone at the Senior Bowl that he can take over games when he’s locked in.”
Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News added that Parker would be a powerful addition for the Lions.
“Parker (6-foot-4, 263 pounds) was a force for the Tigers from the moment he stepped on the field, and exploded onto the scene in 2024 with an 11-sack, 51-pressure campaign to go with 19½ total tackles for loss and six forced fumbles,” Bianchi wrote.