The Lions met with free agent edge rusher Brandon Copeland on Wednesday, according to NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
Copeland, 27, already has experience with Detroit, as he played for the club from 2015-17 under former head coach Jim Caldwell. While the Lions visit marked the first official meeting of Copeland’s free agent period, he has drawn interest from the Patriots and Redskins, although neither team has scheduled a sit-down.
After going undrafted out of Penn in 2015, Copeland spent three seasons with the Lions as a special-teamer, topping 300 ST snaps in both 2015 and 2016. He suffered a torn pectoral the following year and missed all of the 2017 campaign, and subsequently signed a one-year deal with Gang Green in 2018. Last year was a breakout season for Copeland, as he saw action on a career-high 611 defensive snaps and posted five sacks, tied for third-best on the Jets’ roster.