The Detroit Lions may have selected a couple of Michigan Wolverines and they may have taken a playful shot at Michigan State with a Twitter photo selection, but contrary to popular belief, the organization isn’t allergic to signing Spartans.
Detroit picked Derrick Moore and Jimmy Rolder in the first four rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft and now they’re adding a Spartan to the defensive side of the ball as well.
Mark Dantonio era linebacker — and really one of the last great defensive players from that era — Joe Bachie has signed with the Detroit Lions, according to their official Twitter account. He returns to Michigan after spending the past six years bouncing around from team to team.
Bachie now returns home to be a backup linebacker for the Lions who are looking to get back to the NFL Playoffs. They’ve suffered a lot of attrition this offseason, but maybe Bachie can provide some depth and veteran leadership at the position.
Michigan State fans have to be thrilled to see Bachie getting another opportunity, especially for the hometown team. He’ll still be facing an uphill battle to make that 53-man roster, however.
A great opportunity for the Spartan linebacker nonetheless.
Joe Bachie has bounced around in his NFL career
After somehow going undrafted following a Michigan State career that produced 284 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, five interceptions, and 11 pass breakups, Bachie signed on with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played four games there as a practice squad and depth piece, totaling two tackles.
In years 2-5, Bachie played for the home-state Cincinnati Bengals. The Ohio native had 46 tackles in four years with the Bengals before moving on to Indianapolis and Tennessee in his sixth season, finishing with 29 tackles in 15 games last season.
Now the Lions are taking a chance on him. There aren’t many harder working linebackers that I can remember coming through East Lansing, so seeing him crack the rotation wouldn’t be shocking.
The Lions could use the help.
Spartan fans doubling as Lions fans now have a little extra something to cheer for. It’s the least pro sports can do for Detroit/Michigan State fans after one of the most brutal years in fandom history.
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