The Chiefs parted ways with defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs following a series of questionable incidents this offseason.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. The Chiefs released Buggs on Monday, who signed a futures contract in February, about a week after he was arrested and indicted on domestic violence and theft charges.
The 27-year-old man turned himself in to Alabama State Police on May 30 on a misdemeanor warrant for animal cruelty, two weeks before Buggs allegedly dragged the child’s mother, Yamiya Johnson, down the stairs of her apartment.
According to court documents, the two dogs were found in the backyard of the home Buggs was renting, without food or water.
Buggs’ agent, Trey Robinson, denied any wrongdoing by the former sixth-round draft pick and said the animals do not belong to Buggs.
“Under no circumstances will Buggs condone the mistreatment of animals,” Robinson said, according to NFL.com.
Buggs was a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad through the 2023 playoff run after signing with the team on Jan. 4.
The defensive lineman won a championship ring in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl 2024 victory over the 49ers in February, but did not play in the game for the reigning champions.
Buggs was originally a sixth-round pick (192nd overall) by the Steelers in 2019 and appeared in just seven games as a reserve with Pittsburgh.
The Alabama native signed with the Detroit Lions in July and made a name for himself during a hot 2022 season, recording a career-high 46 tackles and 10 quarterback hits in 13 starts.
Detroit re-signed Buggs to a two-year contract last offseason, but after appearing just 255 times in 2023, he was released in January.
Buggs began his collegiate career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2015 but transferred to the University of Alabama in 2017, where he recorded 78 pressures, 60 stops and two forced fumbles as the Crimson Tide played in back-to-back national championship games.
In his five-year career, Buggs has started just 23 of the 56 games he has played in and recorded two sacks, 35 pressures and one forced fumble.
