The Lions want to get CJ Moore back to safety after his one-game suspension

According to Ian Rapoport and other reports, the Detroit Lions are expected to bring back veteran safety CJ Moore. It’s not official yet, but there are signs that Moore will sign a one-year deal to return to Detroit.

Moore, now 28, played five games for the Lions from 2019 to 2022 after joining Detroit as an undrafted rookie free agent from Ole Miss. He missed the entire 2023 season after being suspended for a full year by the NFL for violating the league’s gambling policy.

The league reinstated Moore and three other former Lions players, all of whom were released by Detroit after one-year suspensions for gambling violations. It’s the same situation that cost wide receiver Jameson Williams four games in 2023 after he was initially suspended for six games.

While Moore didn’t play much on defense — just 344 snaps in four seasons — he was a fixture on special teams for Detroit under two different coaching regimes. Given the current depth at safety, one can expect Moore to play more defense in 2024, although special teams is still his strength. Detroit has starters Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu at safety and no other player who has ever taken a snap in the NFL at the position they back up.