The Detroit Lions put in a waiver claim on Tuesday, but no, it wasn’t for former Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette. Instead, the Lions have claimed former Texans defensive tackle Albert Huggins, per his agent Casey Muir.
Huggins is just in his second year in the NFL after going undrafted in 2019. He spent four years at Clemson, tallying 46 total tackles and 4.5 sacks in his final two years. Prior to that, he was a four-star recruit, and the No. 1 prospect coming out of South Carolina.
His journey in the NFL, however, has been a tumultuous one. He was cut from the Texans during their final roster cuts in 2019. A month later, the Eagles signed him to their practice squad. He was eventually promoted to the active roster and made four appearances for Philly. However, they waived him at the end of November, only for Huggins to spend five days with the Patriots before getting waived again. He then went back to the Eagles, then back to the Texans before being waived on Monday.
The Lions are looking for some defensive tackle depth after rookie Jashon Cornell suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in training camp. They have recently brought in defensive linemen Will Clarke and Kevin Wilkins, but Huggins brings another body to make a last-ditch effort to make the 53-man roster. At the very least, the Lions will get a look at Huggins to see if they want to keep him around on their practice squad.
Because the Lions waived wide receiver Geremy Davis earlier in the day, there is no other roster move necessary to add Huggins.