finally, the Kansas City Chiefs listen to their fanbase and sign a potential reinforcement at an area of need.
On January 4, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that “veteran DL cis signing with the Chiefs practice squad, per source.” Adding: “Reinforcements up front for KC’s [defense].”A former sixth-round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buggs is a space-eating defensive tackle at heart. He spent his first three NFL seasons in the Steel City, starting seven games with another 29 appearances as a rotational piece.
Buggs has been with the Detroit Lions ever since 2022, registering another 16 starts and 27 appearances for his second professional franchise.
At 6-foot-3 and 335 pounds, Buggs has the size to play a role similar to Derrick Nnadi or former 2023 draft pick Keondre Coburn. Although he’s not much of a disruptor (two career sacks and four tackles for a loss), Pro Football Focus has credited Buggs with 44 key defensive “stops” and 35 QB pressures — most of which came in 2022.
The 27-year-old Buggs has been in the league since 2019, but initial scouting reports — plus the eventual NFL track record — tends to give fans an overall sense of the type of player their team is getting.
NFL Network draft scout Lance Zierlein projected Buggs as a fourth or fifth-round talent that spring, so he ended up falling a bit when teams made their selections. “Base end in college who will be moving to defensive tackle on a full-time basis in the pros,” he outlined.
At the time, Bleacher Report expert Matt Miller also acknowledged that Buggs had “moments in which he [looked] like a top 50 selection.” A lack of conditioning and “effort” were Miller’s major concerns, so perhaps the KC coaching staff can bring out the best in the journeyman defensive lineman.
Isaiah Buggs Called Lions Departure ‘Best Move for Me & My Family’
A-to-Z Sports Detroit reporter Mike Payton noted that “the Lions benched Buggs to start the [2023] season” after the news of his release on January 2. “He’s had on and off spurts of playing time since then and he’s struggled to recapture the great play he ended 2022 with,” Payton explained.
After the departure became known on social media, Buggs posted a message on X.
