Tag: Mike Hughes

Lions vs Eagle: Best and worst PFF grades for Week 1

The Detroit Lions best and worst PFF performers in their Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Surely it wasn’t the start the Detroit Lions were hoping for in their Week 1 home opener. The Lions fought their way back, making it a close contest, but in the end, early mistakes and slow starts led to the downfall against the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

The offense started very well, scoring on their first drive, but afterward, it came to a screeching halt with the next three drives resulting in three-and-outs and, as a result, gassing the defense as they were having troubles with their own against Jalen Hurts. Afterward, the offense did find their stride, especially through the running game, which had been working throughout the day, and the defense powered through, giving the Lions a shot, but it just wasn’t enough.

In years past, the Lions would’ve called it quits and just let the Eagles continue their onslaught. Not this time. This Detroit squad showed plenty of fight and a lot of grit, which has been the Lions mantra since Dan Campbell took over. Teams are still finding their footing at the beginning of the season, and as long as they clean up the mistakes, the Lions could fight a way to turn out wins.

Here are this week’s best and worst PFF performers for the Lions against the Eagles.

10 Lions roster bubble players to watch vs. Colts

These are 10 Lions players who can really help–or hurt–themselves in the quest to make the final 53-man roster in the second preseason week.

After the first round of cuts, 85 players remain on the Detroit Lions as they enter the second week of preseason. The opportunities to impress are getting shorter with the week in Indianapolis for the Lions’ first road game of the exhibition season. For the players on the roster bubble, it’s rapidly approaching now-or-never time.

Saturday’s preseason game at Lucas Oil Field (1 p.m. ET) is the fiery crucible in which true winners are forged, but the coaching staff is also keenly watching the joint practices at the Colts training facility in Grant Park north of Indianapolis.

These are 10 Lions players who can really help–or hurt–themselves in the quest to make the final 53-man roster in the second preseason week.

Mike Hughes: What the Lions are getting in their new CB

Breaking down where free agent CB Mike Hughes fits into the Lions secondary

When the Detroit Lions signed free agent cornerback Mike Hughes, they added a versatile and young new member to the secondary. Signed for one year and up to $3.5 million (contract details are not immediately available), Hughes comes to Detroit after one season in Kansas City.

What are the Lions getting in Hughes?

He’s something of a familiar face and name for Lions fans. Hughes was a first-round pick (No. 30 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2018 NFL draft.

It didn’t go well for Hughes in Minnesota. After earning the slot CB role under defensive-minded head coach Mike Zimmer — notorious for not handing jobs to rookies — Hughes suffered a nasty knee injury in Week 6 while returning a kickoff. The recovery process did not go as swiftly as hoped and impacted his speed.

The Hughes who played in the slot in 2019 and 2020 in Minnesota looked a step slower and less explosive in breaking on the ball than the early rookie or the standout at Central Florida in college. Another serious injury derailed 2020 after just four games, this time a broken bone in his neck.

Now he was damaged goods. Never the fastest CB to begin with (a 4.53 40-yard dash at the 2018 combine), Hughes couldn’t get back his top gear and had a neck injury to worry about as well. His coverage in short-range situations remained pretty good, but the downfield routes and chasing receivers on drags and posts proved troublesome. Hughes was never a solid, sturdy tackler either.

Minnesota gave up on Hughes, trading him to Kansas City for a 6th-round pick swap and a 2022 seventh-round pick. It proved to be a worthwhile trade for the Chiefs.

Hughes was healthy in 2021 and the Chiefs had a better vision of how to use him. Instead of flipping him between the slot and playing outside like the Vikings did near the end of his time there, Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo kept him almost exclusively outside in their blitz-heavy base 4-2-5 defense.

Hughes lacks ideal size on the outside, but he doesn’t mind being physical. He’s solid with his jam in man coverage and has quick enough feet to handle sharp-breaking routes. The Chiefs played a lot of 4-1-6 (dime) and he stayed outside in a defense designed to funnel to the middle of the field.

Two things stood out in watching Hughes in 2021: his tackling was better and his aggression at attacking the ball looked like the prospect at UCF instead of the guy the Vikings bailed on. He still needs help with the faster wideouts (see the Buffalo and Cincinnati games) and his long speed is never going to be an asset. He’s also shown struggles with quick-footed receivers in off-man coverage. Hughes is at his best when he can help control the release instead of reacting to it. Fans who watched the AFC divisional round game against the Bills saw this firsthand.

The playmaking flair Hughes showed during the season was a welcome bonus. He earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his Week 14 game against the Raiders where he returned a fumble for a touchdown, forced two other fumbles and logged nine tackles.

In Detroit, Hughes should figure into the starting mix in the Lions’ base 4-2-5 as an outside CB. If 2021 rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu kicks inside to the slot, Hughes will battle oft-injured Jeff Okudah for the starting outside CB job opposite Amani Oruwariye. Jerry Jacobs factors into the mix after his recovery from knee surgery too, with the potential to bump Okudah inside as well. Hughes’ own path can help with Okudah, who is following a similar career arc through his first two seasons.

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Report: Lions to sign CB Mike Hughes

Hughes has experience playing both outside and in the slot

The Detroit Lions are making a veteran addition to the secondary. According to a report from Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, the Lions are signing free agent cornerback Mike Hughes to a one-year contract.

Hughes, 25, spent the 2021 season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2018 NFL draft and played his first three years for the Vikings.

He’s coming off his best NFL season. After struggling while primarily working in the slot in Minnesota, Hughes played almost exclusively on the outside in Kansas City and turned in much better results.

Per Kyed, it’s a one-year deal worth $3.5 million, though the signing and the deal are not official at this time.

Chiefs free agent CB Mike Hughes to sign with Lions

The #Chiefs are losing a member of their secondary in free agency with CB Mike Hughes set to sign with the #Lions per a new report.

Another Kansas City Chiefs free agent is set to sign with a new team.

According to Pro Football Focus reporter Doug Kyed, the Detroit Lions are set to sign CB Mike Hughes on a one-year deal worth. The Chiefs traded a sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings to acquire Hughes and a seventh-round pick back in May of 2021.

Hughes logged some meaningful snaps for Kansas City last season, including five starts during the course of the year. The former first-round draft pick was a player that the team liked when he was coming out of UCF in the 2018 NFL draft, both for his ability as a return specialist and on defense. In the end, he’ll spend just one seasons in Kansas City, recording 47 total tackles, six passes defended, one interception, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery returned 23 yards for a touchdown. His performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14 earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The good news here is that this contract should qualify for the compensatory pick formula for Kansas City. The bad news is that the Chiefs are down another defensive contributor in the secondary and a return specialist. That second part is notable with Byron Pringle heading to the Chicago Bears in free agency. Either Mecole Hardman is slated to take a prominent role as a punt and kick returner or the team will look to add a return specialist in the 2022 NFL draft.

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5 free agent CBs the Colts should consider in 2022

Here are five CBs the Indianapolis Colts should consider in free agency for 2022.

The Indianapolis Colts are set up pretty nicely when it comes to the cornerback room, but it still wouldn’t hurt to add some depth in free agency during the 2022 offseason.

Though they shouldn’t be expected to splurge at the position when the middle of March rolls around, having four solid cornerbacks would go a long way for the defense. The priority is the pass rush, and that should take precedence over everything.

But with a young, developing cornerback room working under Ron Milus, the Colts should be relatively active in free agency when it comes to adding an upside veteran to work in the rotation.

We shouldn’t expect the Colts to be in on players like J.C. Jackson, Stephon Gimore or even Carlton Davis. Their talent certainly warrants a place on this list and they would make the defense better but we’re also trying to be realistic.

If we’ve learned anything from the last four offseasons, Chris Ballard doesn’t go after the top-tier free agents.

Here are five cornerbacks the Colts should consider in 2022 free agency:

Be sure to check out our free agency pieces on other positions!

  • Offensive Tackle (link)
  • Tight End (link)
  • Defensive End (link)

Will pending free agent CB Mike Hughes be back with the Chiefs in 2022?

The #Chiefs had shown interest in Mike Hughes long before they traded for him. Will they decide to bring him back in 2022?

The Kansas City Chiefs will look to improve their roster during the 2022 NFL offseason and one area that is expected to see some turnover is the defensive secondary. Three cornerbacks who played at least 200 defensive snaps for the Chiefs in 2021 are pending free agents for the upcoming season. One of those cornerbacks was a May trade acquisition by Kansas City.

The Chiefs acquired Mike Hughes (and a seventh-round pick) from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a sixth-round pick. He was a player that had been on the team’s radar dating back to the 2018 NFL draft when he was just a prospect at UCF. They attended the UCF pro day and brought him in for a top-30 visit.

Hughes was admittedly a bit of a reclamation project when the team acquired him. Injuries had stunted his development with a torn ACL hampering his 2019 season and a neck injury causing him to play just four games in 2020. The Chiefs got a chance to see what Hughes was capable of in 2021, but he wasn’t consistent throughout the course of the season

Hughes appeared in 17 games with five starts for Kansas City, playing over 500 defensive snaps (the 14th most of any Chiefs defender this season). He started off Week 1 with a bang, securing the game-winning interception over the Cleveland Browns. Hughes would continue playing a rotational role on defense until he earned his first start in Week 4.

Beginning in Week 7, Hughes’ role began to shift in Kansas City. The cornerback group was healthier than it had been and Hughes took a back seat on defense. He was challenged facing some bigger wide receivers at times.  By December, his role began to shift toward special teams, replacing Mecole Hardman as the team’s starting punt returner. That didn’t last for long, though.

Hughes started four consecutive games on defense beginning in Week 13. In Week 14, he stepped in for CB L’Jarius Sneed and had the game of his life against the Las Vegas Raiders. He recovered a fumble for a 23-yard touchdown and forced two fumbles of his own in addition to leading the team with nine tackles. The performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

There’s certainly an argument to be made that Hughes should be back with the Chiefs in 2022. He had one of his best years as a professional, even if advanced analytics didn’t favor him. There are at least two games that you can point to (Week 1 and Week 14) where Hughes had a direct impact on the outcome of the game.

If the Chiefs are forced to choose between Hughes and Charvarius Ward, for instance, the choice is clear. If Ward is out of the picture and Hughes is willing to return on an affordable contract, it might be wise to try and build on the season he had in 2021.

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Chiefs CB Mike Hughes named Week 14 AFC Defensive Player of the Week

#Chiefs CB Mike Hughes earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his Week 14 performance vs. the #Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 38-9 in Week 14, and now one of the key contributors in that defense-fueled smackdown is being recognized by the league.

Chiefs CB Mike Hughes earned his first career Defensive Player of the Week Award, in his first season representing the AFC. He is the second Chiefs player to win the award this season following Chris Jones, who earned the award after the team’s victory over the Cowboys in Week 11.

Hughes is also the first cornerback on the team to earn the honor since Marcus Peters in Week 15 of the 2017 NFL season. He’s also the first player from UCF to win Defensive Player of the Week honors since A.J. Bouye did so back in Week 10 of the 2017 NFL season.

Hughes kicked off the dominant performance for Kansas City in Week 14, with a 23-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown on the opening play from scrimmage. But the fun didn’t stop there for Hughes, he’d force two fumbles of his own and lead the team in tackles with nine on the night. Hughes also became the first player in the league to register two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in a single game this season.

The Chiefs acquired Hughes in trade with the Vikings prior to the start of the season. He’s played the majority of his snaps on special teams this year, but stepping in for L’Jarius Sneed in Week 14, he has proven a valuable asset in the secondary. He’s in a contract year, so this performance could pave the way for a second contract with Kansas City or elsewhere.

Joining Hughes this week on the AFC side of things is Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Both Herbert and Hughes will face off on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 14.

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How the Chiefs’ defense went from Legion of Whom? to Legion of Boom! overnight

The Chiefs went from having one of the NFL’s worst defenses to one of the NFL’s best literally overnight. How on earth did this happen?

Before 2021, the last team to hold its opponents to less than 10 points per game in four of five games was the 2014 Seahawks, in their third of four years leading the NFL in scoring defense — something no other team has done in the Super Bowl era.

Last Sunday, after holding the Raiders in a vise in a 48-9 beatdown, the 2021 Chiefs became the first team to accomplish that four-in-five stretch since the Legion of Boom pulled it off. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense held the Packers to seven points in Week 9, the Raiders to 14 points in Week 10, the Cowboys to nine points in Week 11, the Broncos to nine points in Week 13, and the Raiders to nine points in Week 14. Outside of the Broncos, that’s a bunch of generally high-powered offenses that turn very normal when they meet this defense.

Interestingly enough, the Chiefs’ defense bottomed out in the second half of the 2020 season, dropping from 14th to 29th in Defensive DVOA, and the uptick wasn’t nearly as significant in 2019, the team’s Super Bowl-winning season, when the defense moved from 16th to 11th. This season? The Chiefs ranked 28th in Defensive DVOA in Weeks 1-9, and only the Patriots have a better Defensive DVOA since Week 10. They’re third in Defensive DVOA behind the Patriots and Cowboys since Week 6, so this isn’t an in-season blip that can be ignored.

This is a new level of greatness for a defense that has been able to take risks because the Chiefs’ offense was so explosive. Which makes this turnaround even more impressive, because for the most part, the Chiefs’ offense has been anything but. That offense has seen a nice uptick from 11th to fourth in the second half of the 2021 season, but the second half of the season also includes a two-game stretch against the Cowboys and Broncos in which Patrick Mahomes failed to throw a touchdown pass. If the second half of the season didn’t also include a two-game roll against the Raiders in which Mahomes threw seven touchdown passes and no interceptions, it’s hard to say where the 9-4 Chiefs would be.

(Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)

Where the 9-4 Chiefs are right now is at the top of the AFC West, one game ahead of the Chargers, who they face this Thursday night. The Chargers beat the Chiefs, 30-24, in Week 3, but Justin Herbert and friends will face an entirely different threat this time around. That defense is the key to the team’s six-game winning streak after a 3-4 start, and it’s worth investigating what changed, and why this is no flash in the pan.

The Kansas City Chiefs are now led by their defense, as if 2021 wasn’t already weird enough.

How the heck did this happen?

Chiefs players dedicate win over Raiders to CB L’Jarius Sneed

“That felt good to get that W for him.” #Chiefs dedicate Week 14 win to CB L’Jarius Sneed as he deals with death of his oldest brother.

Kansas City Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed didn’t play in the Week 14 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but he played a big part in their triumphant victory.

Sneed was ruled out of the game as he went home to Minden, Louisiana to bury his oldest brother, T’Qarontarion “TQ” Harrison, who was slain in a stabbing incident over the weekend. Speaking to the media after the game, Chiefs HC Andy Reid led off speaking about the tragic situation and how the team supported the Sneed family in this difficult time.

“L’Jarius Sneed, I just want to address that up front here,” Reid began. “Our hearts go out to him. Great kid, great player. Just his family, they were all visiting (Kansas City) at this time. You know it’s a tough deal, but our organization stepped up and got everybody back where they needed to be to go through the grieving process and that locker room is grieving with them.”

In postgame comments, each of Sneed’s teammates explained the part he played in their victory on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes led off, speaking about the brotherhood in the locker room.

“It’s such a tragic situation for him,” Mahomes said. “As a brotherhood, as an organization and as a team, we’re going to go support our brothers. I thought guys played hard for him today. We got the win and I’m just praying for him and his family. It’s a tough deal and we want him to be in a good spot as a person before anything on the football field.”

Mike Hughes, who had one of the most productive games of his career in Week 14, explained that the pregame message in the locker room was to go out and play for Sneed. He felt they accomplished that mission with the win.

“He was on everybody’s mind,” Hughes said. “Before the game, we said that we were going to play for him. You know, we always just, we’ve got our brother’s back no matter what’s going on. I think he’s dealing with a tough situation right now, I won’t get into it, that’s his business. But we wanted to play for him today and we went out there and did that. That felt good to get that W for him.”

Defensive leader Tyrann Mathieu has spoken with Sneed a few times since he’s been away from the team. He felt that the team embodied Sneed and his energy today, which was a big reason for their dominant 48-9 win against the Raiders.

“He’s on our mind a lot,” Mathieu said. “You know, obviously, when somebody loses somebody that close to them, I feel like most of can relate to that— losing people. I just wanted to play for him today, his family. I feel like we did that. I feel like we started the game with some ‘L’Jarius energy’ and so we kind of kept it going throughout the game.”

Mathieu and fellow S Juan Thornhill took to Twitter shortly after the game to emphasize that this win for Sneed and his family.

The offense and defense certainly kept the “L’Jarius energy” going through the final whistle, and they’ll continue to keep it going and lift up their teammate for as long as necessary while he deals with the loss of his brother.

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