Lions claim safety JuJu Hughes off waivers from L.A. Rams

Per the transaction report, and as reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, the Detroit Lions have claimed safety JuJu Hughes off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.

Hughes went undrafted out of Fresno State and joined the Rams in 2020 when Lions general manager Brad Holmes was L.A.’s director of college scouting. He has since played in 19 games over the past two years.

A safety hybrid who began his career as a corner at Fresno State, Hughes started 40 games (played in 52) over his college career and was a team captain as a senior. In the NFL, he was relegated mainly to free safety (37 snaps) on defense, but on special teams (312 snaps) he played on all four punt coverage/return and kickoff coverage/return units.

The Lions ended the season with six safeties on the active roster, but only Will Harris and Brady Breeze are under contract in 2022. Tracy Walker and Dean Marlowe are unrestricted free agents, while C.J. Moore is a restricted free agent and Jalen Elliott is an exclusive rights free agent. Hughes gives the Lions a third safety under contract, but this is a position the Lions will surely continue to add depth to as the offseason progresses.

Detail on Hughes contract with the Lions was not available at the time of publishing.