Detroit Lions sign C.J. Moore from Texans practice squad

About two months ago, the Detroit Lions waived safety C.J. Moore with an injury designation. After clearing waivers, he returned to the Lions’ injured reserve list, but Detroit came to an injury settlement with the veteran special teamer and released him.

A week ago, Moore returned to NFL action by signing to the Houston Texans Practice squad, but now he’s back in Detroit, as the Lions signed him to their active roster on Tuesday. He fills up the roster spot left by the team after waiving wide receiver Maurice Alexander on Monday.

Moore will be a welcome addition to Detroit’s injured secondary. Defensive backs Bobby Price and Tracy Walker are currently on injured reserve, while second-year safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is currently out with an ankle injury.

He’s not only good, veteran depth to have on defense, but he will likely immediately jump into a key gunner or personal protector role on special teams. Price had previously served as a team gunner on the punt coverage team, and without him in the lineup against the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit gave up a 52-yard return—by far their longest of the season.

In addition to re-signing Moore, the Lions also made a change to their practice squad. They waived defensive tackle Bruce Hector and replaced him with free agent safety J.R Reed. The Lions are familiar with Reed, as he spent just over a year with the Los Angeles Rams from September 2020 to October 2021, overlapping time with current Lions general manager Brad Holmes and assistant general manager Ray Agnew.

An undrafted safety out of Georgia, Reed has made a total of 16 game appearances since entering the league in 2020, serving almost exclusively on special teams. He was a three-year starter at Georgia, amassing 199 tackles, five interceptions and 14 passes defended over that time.