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The Detroit Lions have slow-played free agency up to this point, but as the second wave gets going, the team is showing signs they are prepared to be aggressive.
On Monday, March 21, the Lions hosted one visit with defensive lineman Arden Key and reportedly landed another young player in cornerback Mike Hughes, formally of the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs.
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Late in the day, Pro Football Focus reporter Doug Kyed revealed that the Lions had signed Hughes to a reported one-year, $3.5 million dollar deal.
“The Lions are signing CB Mike Hughes to a one-year, $3.5M contract, per source,” Kyed tweeted.
Hughes joining the Lions adds a bit of depth to a key spot on the roster. The team isn’t deep at cornerback even though they have young talent, but Hughes will give them another young player to try that can come in and make something happen for the team when given a chance. So far, the Lions have been able to find value with players like that and hope to once again in this case.
Hughes’ Stats & Highlights
Still young at just 25, Hughes was a first-round pick of the rival Minnesota Vikings back in 2018 out of UCF. Hughes had an up and down start to his career with the Vikings, which led to him being traded last offseason to Kansas City. Hughes has been statistically decent even if he hasn’t been dominating with 144 tackles, 7 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions, 2 touchdowns and 18 passes defended. Perhaps his biggest play came in 2021 when he sealed a game against Cleveland with an interception:
Hughes will come to the Lions with a chance to find a home early in his career, and also find a measure of revenge against the team that drafted him and then traded him last offseason at this time.
How Hughes Fits Lions’ 2022 Secondary
Hughes is another well-calculated gamble by the Lions in terms of a young player who can fill in and perhaps find a new leaf. At cornerback, the team witnessed production from a pair of undrafted free agents in AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs. The play of both looks like it will be good enough to shore up the position into the future. In addition to those players, the Lions watched as Amani Oruwariye became a star this season, and the team still has Jeff Okudah on the roster, though he will be coming off injury in 2022. Additionally, the team will have a player in Ifeatu Melifonwu looking to take the next step from his rookie year. Add it all up and there is certainly reason to feel positive about the future of the group moving forward. The Lions could certainly draft or sign underrated players to fill in at both spots, and it’s clear that in Hughes they could have found another player to help for depth’s sake.
When push come to shove, Hughes may be able to be another underrated player to come in and give the Lions some quality depth.
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