Lions bringing back safety C.J. Moore after year-long suspension

A little more than two weeks after the league lifted his suspension for violating its gambling policy, the Detroit Lions are re-signing safety and special-teams standout C.J. Moore, a source familiar with the agreement confirmed.

Moore has spent nearly all of his professional career with the Lions, initially signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He earned a spot on the 53-man roster as a rookie and finished the year as one of four players to log more than 300 special-teams snaps.

He continued to have a significant special-teams role each of the next three seasons, although he spent the early stages of the 2022 campaign on the Houston Texans practice squad after he was waived/injured by the Lions during training camp.

"That was hard for us at the end of camp to do what we felt like we had to do just for the roster," Lions coach Dan Campbell said about cutting Moore. "We didn’t want to lose him, but we felt like we had to do it at that moment. And so, we — (general manager) Brad (Holmes) and I — had our eye on C.J. the whole time. We knew we had to get through the injury-settlement period, and then when we had the chance to get him back, (we did).

"He’s a pivotal piece to our special teams, first off," Campbell said. "But he also understands the defense; he’s been a part of it. He’s a guy that it means a lot to him, he cares, he’s a professional and guys love him, man. He’s an energy guy."

More:Lions add defensive tackle who played under position coach Terrell Williams in Tennessee

After drawing interest from the New England Patriots as a free agent last March, the Lions managed to re-sign Moore to a two-year agreement worth up to $4.5 million with $3 million guaranteed. It marked a significant raise for the standout special teamer, who also played more than 100 defensive snaps each of the previous two seasons. But a month later, Moore was suspended by the NFL, along with a handful of other players, including Lions teammates Jameson Williams, Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill.

Williams, because he wagered on something other than the NFL, was barred the first six games of the 2023 season, which was later reduced to four. Moore and Cephus drew indefinite bans of at least one year for betting on the NFL. Both were reinstated last month, with the wide receiver recently signing with the Buffalo Bills.

Moore provides the Lions with much-needed safety depth. The team had little experience on the roster beyond projected starters Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kerby Joseph, and second-year man Brian Branch, who is expected to continue in his slot cornerback role in 2024.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers