Tag: Isaiah Buggs

Dan Campbell explains why the Lions parted ways with Isaiah Buggs and Bruce Irvin

Campbell’s tone and message was very different between talking about Buggs and then Irvin

The Detroit Lions parted ways with two defensive linemen this week. Tackle Isaiah Buggs was waived from the active roster on Tuesday, followed by the Lions releasing EDGE Burce Irvin from the practice squad on Wednesday. Both men played in the Week 17 loss to the Cowboys.

Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about the departures during his meeting with the press on Wednesday afternoon.

On Buggs, Campbell did not go into much detail.

“Yeah, I mean, look, those things, they’re – when those things happen, nothing about it is easy, but it’s just – it was the best thing for us and for him. So, I wish him the best of luck,” Campbell said.

Buggs had been a healthy scratch most of the season when Alim McNeill was healthy earlier in the season, and McNeill is now returning from a month-long stint on injured reserve.

The head coach dove quite a bit deeper when discussing Irvin, who was officially waived shortly before this press conference took place.

“Yeah, yeah and that one’s tough too, man. Bruce, what a pro. I mean, he is. He’s been a blessing to have him around here,” Campbell effused. “I mean, he just brings a whole different perspective. I mean, he’s as professional as you get. I mean, just the way he goes about his business, everything about him. And we talked last week, talked again yesterday, had a long talk and so just at this moment, it just – couldn’t totally commit and he’s got stuff going on too. And so, it’s hard. I mean, it’s just one of those, at this point it just wasn’t going to work out. But he’s an absolute stud, he sure is.”

The tangible change in Campbell’s tone and more verbose sendoff for Irvin can only be seen as an indication that the coach still wanted Irvin around. The same cannot be said for Buggs.

Detroit Lions waive former Alabama DL Isaiah Buggs

Former Alabama defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs was waived by the Detroit Lions on Tuesday. Buggs spent the past two seasons in the Lions organization.

After spending the past two seasons in Detroit, the Lions have parted ways with former Alabama defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs. On Tuesday, the Lions waived Buggs in a series of moves to bring defensive tackle Alim McNeil off of the injured reserve list.

Buggs has spent five seasons in the NFL. He spent the first three seasons of his professional career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a Steeler, he played in 29 games tallying 31 tackles and two tackles for loss.

In January of 2021, Buggs was released by the Steelers and signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad.

In the offseason, Buggs signed with the Lions. In two seasons, he accumulated 58 tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss. Not to mention, he also made 16 starts in a Lions uniform.

Buggs will likely be signed in the coming days or weeks. He has been a valuable defensive lineman in the NFL. His ability to rotate in with other defensive linemen and be a factor has certainly stood out. It will be intriguing to see which team gives Buggs his next opportunity in the league.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest news regarding former Alabama players in the NFL.

Lions re-sign FB Jason Cabinda to the practice squad

Lions re-sign FB Jason Cabinda to the practice squad and confirm that DT Isaiah Buggs has been waived

On Monday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell indicated the team was hopeful that Jason Cabinda would be rejoining them this week. Sure enough, Cabinda is back with the Lions.

On Tuesday, the veteran fullback re-signed with the Lions on the team’s practice squad. It’s the culmination of a strange few days for Cabinda.

Last Thursday, the Lions activated the fullback from the injured reserve list after he had fought hard to return from a knee injury. But on Friday, he was waived. Cabinda passed through waivers without being claimed, and the Lions snatched him back onto the practice squad.

In the same transaction note, the Lions officially waived defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, who had earlier indicated his time in Detroit was done.

Isaiah Buggs thanks Lions fans, says goodbye to Detroit

Defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs thanks Lions fans, says goodbye to Detroit on his apparent way out

No roster move has officially been made yet, but the Detroit Lions have apparently said goodbye to defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs.

In a heartfelt social media post, Buggs thanked the city of Detroit and the Lions teammates in a statement that he concluded,

“The time has come for me to say goodbye. Detroit 96 Out.”

Buggs looks like the odd man out with defensive tackle Alim McNeill set to return from injured reserve, a move head coach Dan Campbell indicated was happening this week.

The Lions have not made any transactions known, but the NFL does not release the daily transaction wire log until 4 p.m. ET.

Buggs fell in and out of favor with the coaching staff in 2023 after joining the Lions in 2022. He was a healthy scratch for several games, though he did work his way back into playing about 40 percent of the defensive snaps over the last four games. Buggs did not log any official statistics in the last two games.

Film room: Lions aggressive defense against the Broncos helps set the tone

Film room: Lions aggressive defense against the Broncos helps set the tone

Over the last several weeks, I’ve had some criticism towards the Detroit Lions defense. It was all warranted. They weren’t playing up to par and were getting torched on just about every possession. To fix it, the Lions had to make some tough decisions. They had to bench veteran players such as Jerry Jacobs and Tracy Walker.

This opened the door for players such as Khalil Dorsey, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kindle Vildor. Love it or hate it, the defensive moves were needed. It appears to have provided a spark and hopefully, it’s one that wakes up other defenders that tend to sleep walk through some of these games.

One of the key adjustments the Lions needed to make on defense was to become more aggressive. Against the Broncos, they did just that. Russell Wilson went 18-for-32 with 223 passing yards and a touchdown.

But the pressure got to him as he was sacked twice and he was marked with four bad throws, per Pro Football Reference. In addition to that, Wilson was blitzed 15 times in this game and it led to 22 total pressures for the Lions defense. Let’s jump into the tape and take a look at some of the blitzes the Lions dialed up against the Broncos on Saturday night.

Starting with one of the biggest plays of the game, we direct our attention to the play above. The Broncos come out with their ’12’ personnel (one running back and two tight ends). To respond to it, the Lions defense have a single-high safety over the top of their defense and they’ve got a safety down in the box.

The safety down in the box is Ifeatu Melifonwu and the moment the ball is snapped, he fires up-field on a blitz. As quarterback Russell Wilson fakes the hand-off to the running back, he begins to roll to his right. Before he can even get his eyes downfield to try and find a receiver, he’s met by Melifonwu.

This blitz was designed perfectly and not only did Melifonwu hit Wilson for the sack, he also knocked hte ball out. This led to a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs. Even though the Lions offense weren’t able to put up any points after this turnover, it was a much needed play for the Lions defense. They needed to make a stop with the Broncos threatening to score. Additionally, this was a play that I’m sure helped build confidence for the Lions defense.

Next, I want to highlight another blitz made by safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. The Broncos come out in their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end) but they’re in a condensed set with a slot receiver and tight end aligned near the tackles.

Once the ball is snapped, you can see how the Lions defensive backs rotate into what appears to be a Cover-2 look defensively. This gives them a two-high shell on both sides of the field but the key is Melifonwu. Once the ball is snapped, he flies towards the quarterback and his pressure forces Wilson out of the pocket. With good coverage by the Lions secondary, Wilson is forced to throw this ball away and the Broncos have to punt the ball away.

In this game, Melifonwu played a season-high 62 defensive snaps. He had one of the most productive days of his career. He had 9 total tackles, one sack and two pass deflections for a Lions defense that desperately needed a spark.

The last play I want to focus on is a blitz from defensive back Brian Branch. On the play above, the Broncos come out in a 2×2 set out of a shotgun formation. Aligned in the slot at the bottom of the screen is Brian Branch and he’s going to get a good pressure on this play.

Once the ball is snapped, the Lions send a 6-man pressure with Branch and Anzalone blitzing. Meanwhile, the Lions play man coverage on this and despite a miscue in the secondary (see the WR 17 on the bottom), the pressure from Detroit is real and it causes a bad throw.

As Branch blitzes, Wilson locks onto Jerry Jeudy on his right and is intending on taking a shot downfield. However, Branch delivers a shot to the back of Wilson and it causes this ball to float into the air and ultimately land incomplete. This forces the Broncos into a 3rd down but it’s good to see that despite being up 25 points, the Lions defense still has their foot on the gas.

With the Lions pushing for a division title and a shot at the playoffs, this defense will need to continue to be aggressive. Blitzing and putting trust in having good coverage downfield is one of the key ways this defense can keep the opposition at bay. It’ll be interesting to see what changes the defense continues to make with three games left in the regular season. One thing is for sure, they took a step in the right direction against the Broncos and hopefully soon, we’ll see Gardner-Johnson and McNeill back in the lineup too.

Watch: Isaiah Buggs with the big man fumble return

Lions DT Isaiah Buggs showed off some open-field RB skills in Detroit’s game against the Denver Broncos

It’s always a treat when fans get to see a big man get the ball in the open field. Lions fans in Ford Field got treated to one of the biggest players on the team rumbling and rolling on a fumble recovery early in the Week 15 matchup against the Broncos.

Lions defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, all 6-foot-3 and 335 pounds of him, scooped up a fumble and rambled 37 yards in the open field to set up the offense. Ifeatu Melifonwu created the fumble with a picture-perfect safety blitz that strip-sacked Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.

Check out the big man chugging down the field!

Lions have all DTs active against the Bears with Alim McNeill out

Detroit inactives for Week 14: Lions have all DTs active against the Bears with Alim McNeill out

Most weeks, the Detroit Lions inactive player list includes multiple defensive tackles. Not this week, not against the Chicago Bears.

With top DT Alim McNeill on injured reserve, the Lions have all DT hands-on deck at the ready in Week 14. Isaiah Buggs, Levi Onwuzurike and rookie Brodric Martin, all of whom have been healthy scratches in recent weeks, are active.

The ripple effect leaves rookie WR Antoine Green and two special teams specialists, CB Chase Lucas and LB Trevor Nowaske, as inactives for the Bears game.

Lions inactives for Week 12 vs. Packers: Healthy scratches provide roster clues

With Jonah Jackson the only player out, the Lions made several healthy scratches

The Thanksgiving game in Ford Field features a Lions team that enters the Week 12 contest with just one player ruled out for an injury. In fact, left guard Jonah Jackson (wrist) was the only Detroit player with any injury designation at all.

That means the weekly inactive list is full of healthy scratches. And healthy scratches mean we get a glimpse of the pecking order of the bottom of the Lions roster.

We got an early idea when the Lions elevated DT Quinton Bohanna and OL Michael Schofield from the practice squad. After adding them into the mix, the Lions made the following players inactive:

LG Jonah Jackson (injured)
OLB Julian Okwara
DT Isaiah Buggs
DT Brodric Martin
WR Antoine Green
CB Steven Gilmore
LB Trevor Nowaske

The notable players here are the veterans, Buggs and Okwara. Being inactive while healthy is an indication that they are at the bottom of the depth chart at their positions. With both of them pending free agents, it could very well be seen as a sign that neither is long for Detroit.

Lions final injury report for Week 11: Jonah Jackson and Isaiah Buggs OUT

Lions final injury report for Week 11: Jonah Jackson and Isaiah Buggs OUT against the Bears

As has been the case for most of the season, the Detroit Lions will play without their desired starting five on the offensive line on Sunday. Pro Bowl left guard Jonah Jackson will miss the Week 11 matchup with the Chicago Bears due to a wrist and ankle injury.

Jackson is one of two Lions ruled out for the NFC North matchup. Defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs will also miss the game due to an illness that kept him out of practice all week as well.

Beyond those two, the Lions are relatively healthy. Reserve defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu is the only other player who has an injury status. Mlifonwu, who plays almost exclusively on special teams, is questionable with a hand injury.

The likely replacement for Jackson is to insert rookie Colby Sorsdal into the lineup. That could mean a shift from right guard to LG for Graham Glasgow, as Sorsdal has worked primarily on the right side at both guard and tackle. Expect rookie Brodric Martin to take Buggs’ spot in the DL rotation.

Lions injury update: Jonah Jackson still sidelined

Detroit Lions injury update: Jonah Jackson still sidelined ahead of Week 11 matchup with the Bears

With only one practice left before game designations for Week 11, the Detroit Lions continue to be shorthanded on the offensive line. Starting left guard Jonah Jackson sat out practice for the second day in a row with what’s listed a both an ankle and a wrist injury.

Jackson played without any visible incident in Sunday’s win over Los Angeles, but he had missed the prior few games with a high ankle sprain. With Halapoulivaati Vaitai now on I.R., fifth-round rookie Colby Sorsdal is the top reserve guard now that Graham Glasgow is in the starting lineup at RG.

Jackson was joined on the sidelines by defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, who is out with an undisclosed illness. They are the only two players who missed due to injury. Center Frank Ragnow got his customary veteran rest day on Thursday after being a full participant on Wednesday.

Three players who were limited on Wednesday were full-go on Thursday. DT Levi Onwuzurike and S Ifeatu Melifonwu were back on defense, while WR Kalif Raymond did the same on offense.