Joe Bachie’s return to Michigan looks like it may come with a familiar twist: another roster fight.
With NFL cut day set for Sunday, the former Michigan State linebacker is still on the bubble for the Lions after signing with Detroit a month ago. Bachie is trying to keep his pro career alive in the same state where his college career unfolded, but he’s up against a crowded linebacker room and an uncertain clock.
The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy, in his 53-man projection for the Lions, has Bachie among the four linebackers left off the initial roster. Pouncy is one of the more connected voices around the team, and while his projection doesn’t land in Bachie’s favor, he still sees the linebacker as worthy of a spot somewhere in the organization. If Detroit cuts him Sunday, Pouncy believes the Lions should absolutely bring him back on the practice squad.
That route would hardly be new territory for Bachie. Since leaving Michigan State, he’s spent the last six seasons moving between practice squads and active NFL rosters. He began his career with the Eagles, then spent four years with the Bengals before splitting the 2025 season with the Colts and Titans.
There’s still a path for him to sneak onto the roster. Damone Clark is dealing with an injury, and rookie Jimmy Rolder is also on the mend, which leaves some room for movement at linebacker. Bachie’s experience and his special teams value help his case, too.
But the preseason production hasn’t exactly screamed “lock.” In three exhibition games, Bachie logged five total tackles. Against the Commanders, he played just 11 snaps and didn’t record a stat at all.
Even so, Dan Campbell has been complimentary of him, saying Bachie can handle whatever is asked and has picked up the defense quickly despite being with the team for only a month. That kind of profile fits Campbell’s mold: dependable, physical, smart, and low-maintenance.
Still, the numbers and the depth chart suggest Bachie may be headed for the practice squad rather than the opening 53. He’s got a real shot to get called up later in the season, but as things stand, the initial roster projection points to him just missing the cut.
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For Michigan State, the exercise was a reminder of how much work still sits ahead in East Lansing. The Spartans were projected at 6-6, a middling forecast that reflects both the uncertainty around the middle of the Big Ten and the expectations attached to a program trying to climb back into the league picture. The broader takeaway from the survey was hard to miss: the conferences optimism is concentrated at the top, and Michigan State will have to force its way into that tier rather than wait to be invited. [Read more 🡒]