After slowly being integrated into the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line rotation in his first two seasons, Isaiah Buggs is seeing his development being accelerated this year. And it’s not by design.
Tyson Alualu’s right ankle fracture has elevated Buggs into the starting nose tackle role on the defensive line.
Buggs is expected to make his second NFL start Sunday when the Steelers play the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field.
“I’ve just got to keep the standard,” Buggs said Thursday. “I’m excited to get this opportunity. I played behind Tyson, and he taught me the ins and outs of the game. I just have to keep that legacy going from Tyson.”
The Steelers will discover how much Buggs has learned from Alualu, a 12-year veteran who could miss the remainder of the season. Alualu was injured after playing just four snaps of the Steelers’ 26-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
With veteran end Stephon Tuitt on injured reserve, it forced the Steelers to rely on players such as Buggs, who played 22 snaps against the Raiders, and rookie Isaiahh Loudermilk, who took 18 snaps.
“Younger guys have to be willing to step up,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “I’m not asking them to take the bulk of the reps, but they have to be able to know what they are doing out there. The biggest thing I had with Tuitt and Tyson was trust. We’ve built that over the years.”
A sixth-round pick in 2019 from Alabama, Buggs has dressed for 21 out of a possible 34 games in his NFL career.
Last year, Buggs replaced an injured Alualu in Week 7 at Baltimore and chipped in with five tackles, including some late timely stops of quarterback Lamar Jackson, in a 28-24 victory. He started against Dallas the next week but then was inactive for five of the next seven games.
Second-year nose tackle Carlos Davis is dealing with a knee injury, meaning the Steelers are thin at tackle behind Buggs.
“It’s a collective thing up front,” Buggs said. “We all practice hard and are in the meeting room together. We all have to contribute and work together now.”
