Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs has found a new professional home after his NFL suspension has been lifted. Buggs was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2025 NFL season,
That suspension was lifted just past the midway point of the 2025 NFL season, but Buggs did not draw any interest. He played in the UFL in the spring of 2025, before his suspension was doled out, and he will return there for the 2026 spring season, albeit with a different team.
Buggs’ UFL rights have been transferred to a new team for 2026: The Orlando Storm. The Orlando club is a new franchise, but it absorbed the rights to the players from the recently defunct San Antonio Brahmas, where Buggs played in 2025.
The new club, with head coach Anthony Becht at the helm, decided it liked Buggs enough to make him one of just six players the franchise retained from the San Antonio club.
Buggs, 29, has not been active in the NFL since he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs in June of 2024. He has dealt with multiple legal issues, including charges of animal abuse and domestic violence.
Buggs was convicted in Alabama of two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in 2024 for leaving two dogs unattended and was sentenced to 60 days of hard labor. Those charges were filed in May 2024.
A June 2024 incident was the basis for the domestic violence charges. Buggs was alleged to have broken into the house of the mother of his child and dragged her down the stairs, causing scratch marks and broken nails. That arrest caused his release by Kansas City.
Buggs entered a plea agreement in the domestic violence case that reduced the charge to criminal trespass, and had the conviction for animal cruelty overturned in April.
It’s unclear which incident or incidents were the basis of the NFL suspension, but the league’s domestic abuse policy does not require a conviction to warrant a suspension.
“We are grateful to the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office for its careful review of the facts and evidence and for working toward a fair and just outcome,” Buggs said last April in a statement provided by attorney Greg Gambril. “I am focused on moving forward and continuing my football career.”
Buggs played four games with San Antonio last spring, starting two games and recording five tackles and two sacks.
He was the Steelers’ sixth-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Buggs stayed with the team until 2021, when they released him, and he joined the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. He later spent two seasons with the Detroit Lions and became a Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs in February 2024.
Aaron Becker contributed.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers DT Finds New Pro Home after NFL Suspension
