The Saints have reached agreement with free agent defensive tackle John Hughes, according to Joel Erickson of the Advocate.
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Hughes will now enter his second stint with New Orleans this year, as he originally signed with the club in early August. The 29-year-old lasted fewer than three weeks on the Saints’ roster, however, and was released during final cutdowns. Hughes worked out for the Jaguars last month but didn’t land a contract, and auditioned for New Orleans again on Tuesday before inking a new deal.
A third-round pick in the 2012 draft, Hughes has never been a full-time starter during his five-year NFL career, but does offer 58 games worth of experience. The Browns released Hughes last September despite having just signed him to an extension 18 months earlier, and he eventually caught on with the Buccaneers to close out the season. In five games, Hughes managed five tackles while playing on 5.8% of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps.
Hughes becomes the fourth defensive tackle on the Saints’ roster behind Sheldon Rankins, Tyeler Davison, and David Onyemata, each of whom has played at least 125 defensive snaps in 2017.