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It was a mild surprise when former Pittsburgh Steelers sixth-round pick Isaiah Buggs was cut prior to last year’s season-finale against the Baltimore Ravens — a “weird end” to a career that seemed to be on the rise. Keep in mind that Buggs was the team’s first choice to start at nose tackle in the wake of Tyson Alualu’s season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2021 season. But an ankle issue of his own and time spent on the Reserve/COVID-19 list didn’t help his cause, nor did the mid-season additions of Montravius Adams (New Orleans Saints practice squad) and Khalil Davis (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
Buggs did land on his feet, joining the practice squad of the Las Vegas Raiders in time for the 2022 playoffs, but the silver & black elected not to re-sign him after the postseason came to an end. Nor did the Atlanta Falcons offer him a contract following a minicamp workout in mid-June.
But the 25-year-old Louisiana native has found a new NFL home. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the 6-foot-3 defensive tackle is signing with the Detroit Lions, where he’ll try to reboot an NFL career that once held a certain amount of promise. The 295-pounder seems to recognize that his career was hanging by a thread. On Friday he re-tweeted an article announcing the signing and also tweeted a message that simply said: “Thank You God.”
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Isaiah Buggs’ Steelers Career Re-Visited
Buggs appeared in nine games as a rookie after the Steelers selected him in the sixth round of the 2019 draft (No. 192 overall) out of Alabama. He went on to play in 10 games the following season, and in year three appeared in 10 games (with six starts) before getting released.
According to Pro Football Reference, he has been credited with 31 total tackles (14 solo), including two tackles for loss, one pass defensed and one quarterback hit.
That said, he may be best remembered for his sideline altercation with fellow Steelers defensive lineman Carlos Davis, which occurred during the 2020 season-finale against the Cleveland Browns.
He does appear to have mostly fond memories of his time in Pittsburgh, however, as posted a heartfelt goodbye to Steelers Nation shortly after the organization cut him loose in January 2022.
He remains one of nine former Steelers players who count as “dead money” on Pittsburgh’s 2022 salary cap. He is, however, at the very bottom of that list, as it’s just $42,158 at issue, per overthecap.com, which is the remaining (prorated) portion of the signing bonus on his four-year, $2.688 million rookie contract.
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Steelers Report to Training Camp July 26
In other news, the Steelers are just days away from training camp, as all players are scheduled to report to Saint Vincent College on July 26. The first of 18 practices will be held on the afternoon of July 27.
As noted by Steelers.com, the first practice in pads will take place on Monday August 1 and the team’s annual “Friday Night Lights” will be held on Friday, August 5 at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
The last open practice will take place on Thursday August 18 and the team is scheduled to break camp on August 19.
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