Isaiah Buggs never found a home over three seasons in Pittsburgh. That changed as soon as he came to Detroit.
Claimed by the Lions off waivers last summer, Buggs emerged as a big piece of the team's defensive front, playing all 17 games and starting the last 13. And now he's back for more after re-signing with Detroit Monday on a two-year deal worth up to $6 million, hours before he could've hit the open market.
For Buggs, the decision was an easy one.
"We’re going to build something great here and I want to be a part of it when it happens," he said. "I didn’t want to go into free agency wondering about where I was going to be, where I was going to end up. When Detroit called me and said, 'We want you back,' I wanted to be back. I always wanted to be back, so I’m glad we made that happen."
The Lions originally signed Buggs looking for girth and depth up front. They got that and more. He was a steady run stopper from the get-go and provided some interior pass rush as the season went on. He wound up second on the defensive line in tackles (46) and fourth in QB hits (10) -- and third in snaps. Only Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill played more.
From the moment he stepped in the Lions' facility last summer, Buggs felt like he belonged.
"Everybody treated me like I’d been here my whole career," he said. "Being around a great group of guys, I really felt at home here. And these coaches, man, are outstanding coaches. They really believe in you and put you in the best situation to win. That was my main thing, finding a place where I can fit in, be a leader, just do what’s asked and just buy into everything. And Detroit was that place for me."
Buggs could sense it from his first practice in camp. When he stepped on the field and felt the passion of Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, "that really meant a lot to me," he said, "just watching them work with the guys." After failing to catch on with the Steelers, who had drafted him out of Alabama in 2019, Buggs was looking for a situation where he could see "eye to eye with the coaches."
"And they saw eye to eye with me, and I fell in love with it," he said.
There was little to love about the Lions' defense early last season. And the final numbers weren't pretty: Detroit allowed the most yards per game and yards per play in the NFL. That included 5.2 yards per rush, which must come down next season. Buggs believes it will. The defense did stiffen up as the year went on, with Buggs serving as one of the engines in the trenches.
"We’re young, but I feel like we’re going to be ready," he said. "Everybody knows the system, everybody is ready to buy in and become a great defense, one of the top defenses in the league. And I’m buying in to help that happen for us. I think we’re going to be great this year."
That would go a long way for the Lions, whose offense should once again be among the NFL's best. Buggs, 26, has already come a long way in Detroit, with even further to go.
"Sometimes it’s better to have a fresh start," he said. "When I got drafted by the Steelers, my career was up and down until I finally found a place that I can call home."
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