After releasing wide receiver Geremy Davis this morning, the Detroit Lions have filled their open roster spot by claiming defensive tackle Albert Huggins off waivers from the Houston Texans.
After sitting behind first-round picks Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins at Clemson, Huggins earned playing time due to his ability to eat space and occupy blockers for linebackers. He’s not much of a penetrator, but there are building blocks in place for overall development.
After going undrafted in 2019, Huggins was a priority free agent target of the Texans and his first year in the NFL was full of travel but to a lot of the same places.
He landed on the Texans practice squad to start the season, but after two days, he was signed off the squad by the Philadelphia Eagles. After four games on the Eagles roster (three tackles recorded), he was released and claimed off of waivers by the New England Patriots. He would only last a week in Foxborough, and returned to Philadelphia, eventually earning a reserve/futures contract. the Eagles waived him in July, where he was claimed by the Texans for his second stint in Houston. Huggins was released yesterday and claimed by the Lions today.
Quite a journey for the young defensive tackle, but stops in New England and Houston — who run a similar scheme to the Lions — illustrate why the Lions would be interested in him.
With less than a week before roster cutdowns, Huggins has an extremely difficult path to the Lions roster, making this look more like a tryout for the practice squad as the Lions are looking for interior depth on the defensive line.