The Lions add two veteran defensive players, one being a former Michigan State Spartan standout, and the other in a spot they needed depth

After drafting all of Michigan’s players, the Lions finally add a Spartan

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie tries to tackle Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields during the first quarter at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. 10052019 Msuosu 1st 2 Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The 2026 NFL Draft is over, but the Lions are still adding more players. This time, two veteran players via free agency. Here’s who they added.

DT Jay Tufele

First is Tufele. The former fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has spent time with the Jaguars, Bengals, and Jets. For most of his career, he’s been a rotational interior defensive lineman who has occasionally played some big end. At over 300 pounds and 6-foot-3, he’s a real space eater who can help others break through on the pass rush side of things, but hasn’t shown much pass rush juice himself. Where he can really help is in the run stuffing department. He’s a fine rotational nose tackle.

LB Joe Bachie

As a Michigan State fan, it’s cool to see the Lions finally go out and get a Spartan. You might remember Bachie as being a big part of the Spartans’ defense for years. He was a three time All-Big-Ten guy during that time.

In the NFL, it’s been a bit of a different story. He went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and has since spent time with the Saints, Eagles, Bengals, Colts, and Titans. He has played 67 career games, but mostly as a special teams guy. The good thing is he has graded out very well in that department. On defense, he can play in the Will and middle linebacker.

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