At the beginning of training camp, the Lions' locker room resembled a cross between a family reunion and a summer camp for very athletic men. Music played loudly after practices, pranks were pulled and old acquaintances from college and professional days gone by were renewed.

With roster cuts looming, however, a subtle seriousness has arrived as players are reminded of the harsh realities of the business side of football.

That's where WR Nate Hughes comes in.

He's one of about 20 Lions currently in the purgatory known as the “roster bubble.” Hughes is good enough to survive the first roster cuts on Monday that will see the team part ways with 15 players, but he's facing stiff competition to avoid being one of the final players purged from Detroit's roster late next week.

While the rest of the world is gearing up for the NFL's regular season, Hughes is fighting for his professional life.

“It's nerve-wracking,” he said. “That's the business of football. I've been going through this since 2008. so I know [roster deadline] day does come. It sucks when it comes, but it does come. It's a reality.”

During his four-year career, Hughes has been on both the good and bad side of roster deadline day. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Browns, he also spent time on the Chiefs' and Jaguars' practice squads during his rookie year. He survived Jacksonville's final cuts in 2009, appearing in eight regular-season games. The Jaguars waived him before the 2011 season, and he's been on Detroit's practice squad and camp roster ever since.

Hughes isn't eligible for the practice squad this season, so his future will be determined by a WR competition that has become more crowded as deadline day approaches. Hughes was thought to be fighting with Patrick Edwards, Dominique Curry and Maurice Stovall for one of two special-teams intensive WR spots. When Detroit signed veteran WR and kick-coverage ace Kassim Osgood -- who will likely make the final roster -- Hughes was left with the prospect of battling three players for a single spot.

While some players would be rattled by a mid-camp signing that affects their position battle, Hughes says he's not worried. “You can't worry about players coming in,” he said. “All you can do is trust that whatever you've put forth [in practice] will keep you here.”

While special teams is Hughes' primary focus, he also has to prove himself capable of handling emergency WR duties. With limited reps available to make an impression, he says a receiver's confidence while in a position battle can ride on a single throw. “The sad part about playing receiver is that you can do everything right, run a good route, get wide open and the ball doesn't come,” he said. “Then you feel like you did something wrong. There's also times when you run a horrible route, you catch a pass, and you feel like you did something right.”

Multiple Lions' players have said that what's most important in handling life on the bubble is the ability to play without anxiety. That, and having a plan for life after football. Hughes' fallback option, which he hopes he won't need for several years, is unusual. He's a registered nurse.

Although it's difficult to imagine nursing school preparing a person for an NFL training camp, Hughes says his experience in the medical field gave him some much-needed perspective. “When you're in football, it's your livelihood you're worried about,” he said. “When you're in a medical environment, it's [the patient's] family that you have to look out for. That environment made me look at football like I do now -- as an opportunity to have fun.”

Hughes has two preseason games and three practices remaining to stake his claim to a roster place. Whatever happens, he says he's happy with his performance and that he'll finish training camp without regrets. “I can only control what I can control,” he said. “If I go and give everything I have at full speed, and I'm not one of the ones that [makes the roster], I have nothing to hang my head about.”

Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSSportsNFLDET and @JohnKreger.