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After tearing his ACL fairly early in his rookie season last year, Mike Hughes is officially back:
Former Vikings’ first-round pick Mike Hughes makes his 2019 debut vs. the Raiders today, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 22, 2019
With slot CB Mackensie Alexander out with an elbow injury, getting Hughes back is really welcome. Last week, against Green Bay, the secondary depth was laid bare early as Nate Meadors, playing in place of Alexander and Hughes, was burned for an early touchdown.
Alexander is still out, so Hughes, presumably, will primarily play in the slot, and rotate in with Jayron Kearse, who handled most slot duties last week in the Vikings big nickel package.
Hughes made a splash in his debut last year, scoring on a pick six against the Fightin’ Garoppolo’s of San Francisco in week one, and things looked bright for the first round pick out of UCF. But in week six against the Arizona Cardinals, Hughes tore his ACL and missed the remainder of the season.
During training camp, it was revealed that he had suffered ‘multiple ligament damage’, and it was thought that his comeback might be further delayed. But at the end of training camp, Hughes was put on the active roster and not the PUP list, and after missing the first two games, he’ll see action today.
Welcome back, Mike!