The Detroit Lions filled one of the two vacancies on their 53-man roster by signing linebacker Joe Bachie off the practice squad on Monday, Sept. 7.
The Lions had two open roster spots after waiving center Seth McLaughlin and running back Jabari Small after they returned from injuries last week. They re-signed both players to the practice squad on Monday and placed offensive lineman Mason Miller on the practice squad injured list.
Bachie played well in a backup linebacker role in training camp and should help on special teams early in the season while rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder works his way back from a hamstring injury.
Bachie, who played at Michigan State,
appeared in 15 games for the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts last season and previously played for the New Orleans Saints when Dan Campbell was an assistant with the team.
Campbell said in camp Bachie "picked up [this summer] where he left off from when I remember him" with the Saints.
"Just a smart, crafty, all-out linebacker, can play all the spots as needed, special teams," Campbell said. "He's walked in the door and he's got a great grasp of this defense right now. And you need him, he can go here, you need him, he can go here and he gets the job done. And he can play on special teams and do anything that [special teams coordinator Dave] Fipp's asked him to do. So, he's pretty dependable, he's reliable and he's made plays in camp.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions sign LB Joe Bachie off practice squad, have 1 open roster spot
