Isaiah Buggs reveals Detroit Lions plan to sit him for Thursday night season-opener
Isaiah Buggs prompted a whole bunch of Lions fans to speculate about his future thanks to a weird post he made on social media.
And he finally explained why he made such post. He’d been told he wasn’t playing Thursday night when Detroit opens its season on the road against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
So here’s what prompted the buzz. On Sunday, Isaiah Buggs tweeted “I’m Good But Just Know Situations Change.” Then he used the hashtag 96BALLFOREVER. And finished it with “Y’all Gone See.”
Of course, he really sparked a conversation when he removed most references to the Lions from his social media accounts. If you’re a fan of Detroit, what would you think if you’d seen all this? The Detroit News reported that fans immediately started pondering whether the Lions were trading for Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who is in the midst of a very long holdout. And fans wondered whether Detroit was using Buggs as part of a package to acquire receiver Mike Evans from the Bucs. Evans could be on the verge of a holdout.
Layer in this detail — Buggs wasn’t at practice on Saturday. He apparently was sick.
But when he met with reporters on Monday, he explained his behavior.
“As of right now, they told me that I was not going to play,” Isaiah Buggs said. “So that’s what we got. I’m going to be straightforward with it, because they were straightforward with me with that. And as of right now, I will not be playing. . . . It was a surprise to me, actually. That’s why I say, you don’t always know everything.”
Here’s some background on Buggs. The Steelers selected the former Alabama standout with a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft. The Lions signed him last summer. He played in all 17 games, starting 13 of them. Then, in March, Detroit extended his contract by two years. It all sounded like he was on solid ground with the Lions.
However, training camp changed that. Detroit selected defensive tackle Brodric Martin in the third round of April’s draft. And Martin, judging by reps in training camp, surpassed Buggs on the depth chart. As the Lions got through their preseason schedule, Martin received more snaps with the first team. So did Benito Jones.
When the Lions released their first depth chart of the regular season, Isaiah Buggs still was on the first team. But oftentimes, the first depth chart doesn’t mean much.
Buggs told reporters that he never expected to fall on the depth chart months after signing a contract extension.
“It was a surprise to me, actually. That’s why I say, you don’t always know everything,” Buggs said. “Playing an important role last year, leading this year, you think you’re going to be that guy. You thinking they’re all in with you, and then, ‘Boom.’ With a snap of your finger, it’s like that. Like I said, I’ve always been a team player, I’ve always been a role player. Whatever they have for me, that’s what I’m going to do.”