Allen Park — The Detroit Lions added some veteran cornerback depth on Monday, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with former first-round pick Mike Hughes, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
Pro Football Focus is reporting the agreement is worth up to $3.5 million.
Selected No. 30 overall out of the University of Central Florida in 2018, Hughes spent his first three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He appeared in 24 games during his stint with the franchise, including seven starts, but missed extensive time with knee and neck injuries.
During his rookie season in 2018, Hughes tore his ACL, and at the end of the 2019 campaign, he suffered a broken vertebra, which lingered into the next year.
Hughes was traded to Kansas City ahead of the 2021 campaign and appeared in every regular season game for the first time in his career, logging more than 500 defensive snaps and another 164 on special teams, both career-highs.
With the Chiefs, the 5-foot-10, 186-pounder mostly lined up as an outside corner, but he also has extensive experience in the slot from his time with the Vikings, providing the Lions with some versatile depth.
Hughes will join a room headed by Amani Oruwariye and Jeff Okudah and supplemented by Jerry Jacobs, Ifeatu Melifonwu, AJ Parker, Parnell Motley, Mark Gilbert and Bobby Price.
The addition of Hughes brings some much needed experience. Only Oruwariye has seen the field more than 600 snaps during his career. There’s also some lingering uncertainty with Okudah and Jacobs, who are coming off serious injuries. Okudah tore his Achilles in the season-opener last year, while Jacobs suffered a torn ACL in December.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers