Pittsburgh Steelers release defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 of the 2021 regular season, and their roster is still in a state of flux. With players coming and going with regularity, largely due to the Reserve/COVID-19 List designations, NFL rosters are anything but certain throughout each week.

With that said, it is now being reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network the Steelers are waiving 2019 NFL Draft sixth round pick Isaiah Buggs.

Buggs, who played his college football at Alabama, has been an inconsistent member of the Steelers’ defense, and he has battled staying healthy throughout this season. With that said, fans of the black and gold shouldn’t view this release as potentially permanent. There is a good chance Buggs was released to create room on the roster for someone like Kevin Dotson, who could be activated off Injured Reserve, as predicted by Dave Schofield in his projected inactive list article.

In other words, there is a chance Buggs returns to the Steelers if he isn’t picked up by another NFL franchise. It also should be noted the Steelers haven’t made this move official yet, but could by the end of the business day (4 p.m. ET) Saturday.

For the 2021 season, Buggs appeared in 10 games and started six. Getting defensive snaps in all of the Steelers first 10 games, Buggs was a surprise inactive in Week 12 as he was a healthy scratch. Between injuries, Covid, and being the odd man out, Buggs had not been active for the Steelers last six games. On the season, Buggs finishes with 17 tackles, two of which were for loss, and one pass defensed.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the regular season finale at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in what is Ben Roethlisberger’s final regular season game of his career.