Chiefs cutting Isaiah Buggs after domestic violence, animal cruelty arrests

The Chiefs are parting ways with defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs following a series of troubling incidents this offseason.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday the Chiefs are releasing Buggs — whom they signed to a futures contract in February — roughly one week after he was arrested and charged with domestic violence/burglary.

Two weeks before that incident — in which Buggs allegedly dragged Yamya Johnson, the mother of his child, down the stairs of her apartment — the 27-year-old turned himself in to Alabama police on May 30 following misdemeanor warrants regarding animal cruelty.

Two dogs were found on the back porch of a home Buggs was renting without access to food and water, according to court documents.

Buggs’ agent, Trey Robinson, denied any wrongdoing by the former sixth-round draft pick and that the animals were not his.

“Under no circumstances does Mr. Buggs condone the mistreatment of any animal,” Robinson said, per NFL.com.

Buggs was a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad during their 2023 playoff run after signing with the team on Jan. 4.

The defensive lineman earned a ring from the Chiefs’ Super Bowl 2024 win over the 49ers in February but did not appear in a game for the reigning champs.

Buggs was originally a sixth-round pick (No. 192 overall) by the Steelers in 2019, starting just seven games in Pittsburgh as a depth piece.

The Alabama product later signed with the Detroit Lions in July 2022 and broke onto the scene with a career-high 46 tackles and 10 quarterback hits in 13 starts during an upstart 2022 campaign.

Detroit re-signed Buggs to a two-year deal last offseason, but he was cut in January after playing only 255 snaps in 2023.

Buggs began his college career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2015 but transferred to Alabama in 2017, amassing 78 pressures, 60 stops and two forced fumbles across the Crimson Tide’s consecutive national championship game appearances.

In his five-year career, Buggs has started just 23 of 56 games he’s played in, racking up two sacks, 35 pressures and one forced fumble.