The Detroit Lions added two more defensive players to their roster.
Linebacker Joe Bachie and interior tackle Jay Tufele were signed Wednesday, the organization announced.
Bachie, a former Michigan State team captain, has spent six years in the NFL since entering the league as an undrafted free agent. During that period, he appeared in 66 games, made seven starts and produced 77 tackles while playing for four different teams – Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Tennessee.
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The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Bachie, who played for the Spartans in 2016-19, will join the pool of reserve players at a position the Lions have gradually restocked since Alex Anzalone signed a two-year deal with Tampa Bay in March. In the aftermath of Anzalone’s departure, the Lions re-signed Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske, acquired free agent Damone Clark and drafted former Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder in the fourth round last week.
Tufele, much like Bachie, will provide added depth at a spot where the ranks thinned this offseason for the Lions. Defensive tackle became a need after starter DJ Reader’s contact expired and backup Roy Lopez returned to the Arizona Cardinals in free agency.
Tufele, 6-3, 305, is a 2021 fourth-round pick. He has appeared in 46 games and made seven starts over the previous five seasons while playing for Jacksonville, Cincinnati and the New York Jets. Tufele has amassed 56 tackles, including three for lost yardage.
Tufele is the third defensive tackle to join the team in the past week after the Lions drafted Texas Tech’s Skyler Gill-Howard and Tennessee’s Tyre West in Rounds 6 and 7, respectively.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions sign 2 more defenders, including ex-MSU captain Joe Bachie