Defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs had an opportunity to become an NFL free agent last week. He passed it up to sign a contract extension with the Detroit Lions.

“We’re going to build something great here, and I want to be a part of it when it happens,” Buggs 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.”

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The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Buggs from Alabama in the sixth round in 2019. In three seasons with the Steelers, Buggs played in 29 games, with seven starts. He had 31 tackles, no sacks and one quarterback hit in 433 defensive snaps in his career when Pittsburgh released him the day before its finale for the 2021 season.

Signed by the Lions just before training camp last summer, Buggs played in all 17 games, with 13 starts, for Detroit in 2022. He recorded 46 tackles, one sack, 10 quarterback hits, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.

“I’m going to say sometimes it’s better to have a fresh start,” Buggs said. “Me, when I got drafted with the Steelers, my career was up and down until I finally found a place where I can call home, so when you find a place you can call home, you feel more comfortable, and when you get comfortable, you can do more things, so I’m just glad to be back here in Detroit. …

“The first day I stepped in this facility, coaches, players, everybody treated me like I been here my whole career. And you know, just to be around a great group of guys, I really felt home here. And these coaches, man, they’re outstanding coaches. They really believe in you, and they really put you in the best situation to win. And that was my main thing: Finding a place where I can fit in, I can be a leader and I can just do what’s asked and buy in to everything. And Detroit was that place for me.”

Buggs was on the field for 755 defensive snaps for the Lions in 2022, and his top tackle totals – seven in a 20-16 victory over the Green Bay Packers and six in a 37-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers – came in two of the season’s final three games.

“The more I played, I got really, really comfortable in this system and this program,” Buggs said. “Every game for me was get better each and every game. Every practice for me was get better each and every practice. And I kind of found myself doing that.”

Buggs signed a two-year contract extension with the Lions with a reported value of $4.5 million. The deal included a $1 million signing bonus and $2.1 million in guaranteed money. He played in 2022 for $965,000.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.