Former Detroit Lions defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs is not currently on an NFL roster. But if he was, he wouldn’t be able to play in the first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Friday the league suspended Buggs the first 10 weeks of the 2025 NFL regular season. Last year, the defensive tackle dealt with a couple different legal issues.
“Buggs was arrested on burglary and domestic violence charges in 2024 but reduced those charges to misdemeanor criminal trespass as part of the plea deal,” wrote PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh.
“Meanwhile, he was also hit with animal cruelty charges that were dismissed in April. Buggs resumed his football career this spring by signing with the San Antonio Brahmas.
“Buggs was initially sentenced to 60 days of hard labor on two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty towards two dogs last July.”
The Kansas City Chiefs released Buggs on June 24. He remains unsigned.
Buggs started 16 games over two seasons for the Lions from 2022-23. He started a career-high 13 contests for the team during the 2022 campaign.
Former Lions DT Isaiah Buggs Receives NFL Suspension
Buggs appears to be through the worst of his legal issues. Farabaugh reported that the defensive tackle is also in great shape this summer.
“This offseason, Buggs dropped 20 pounds from 336 pounds to 315 pounds and feels leaner than he did before,” wrote Farabaugh.
But Buggs will likely have to sit out his suspension before potentially getting another NFL opportunity.
Buggs began his career as a sixth-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers drafted him at No. 192 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He appeared in nine games as a rookie. Over three seasons in Pittsburgh, he made 29 appearances and started seven contests.
Six of those starts came during the 2021 season. Buggs posted 17 combined tackles, including two tackles for loss and one pass defense.
In January 2022, the Steelers waived Buggs. He then received an opportunity with the Lions during training camp that summer.
Buggs played 755 defensive snaps for the Lions in 2022. But he lost playing time during the 2023 season to Alim McNeil and Benito Jones.
Buggs finished the 2023 campaign with the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. The defensive tackle was a member of the team’s practice squad during the postseason. He didn’t appear in any games with Kansas City.
Will Buggs Get Another NFL Opportunity?
NFL teams are typically aware when players are about to be suspended. So, it’s possible teams stayed away from signing Buggs this summer because of the possibility he would miss the beginning of the season.
But Buggs wasn’t on a team last year either. His last appearance on an NFL field in a game was Week 17 of the 2023 campaign with the Lions.
The fact he’s in great shape might get him a workout opportunity later this season. Maybe a chance will come from a contender needing to add defensive line depth because of injuries.
However, Buggs appears to face an uphill battle back into the league.
In 56 NFL games, Buggs has started 23 times. He’s posted 89 combined tackles, including 42 solos and four tackles for loss. Buggs also has 12 quarterback hits, four pass defenses and two sacks in his career.
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