Pittsburgh Tyson Alualu, a 13-year veteran and former defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is set to join with the Detroit Lions, as confirmed by Zuckerman, Alualu’s agent.
The 36-year-old Alualu played with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the last six seasons, starting 26 of his 81 games while compiling 158 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Following his ankle fracture last season, he was able to return and total 13 tackles in 17 games.
Throughout the season, Alualu has indicated that he would like to rejoin a team, but he has not been able to do so before joining Detroit. He will now play defense with Isaiah Buggs and Cam Sutton, two other Steelers colleagues.
Alualu joins the Lions with 191 games played, including 113 starts, 416 tackles, 25 sacks, 46 tackles for loss, and 15 pass deflections. His goal will be to round out his career with a playoffs push with the Detroit Lions, who are presently atop the NFC North.
LLEN PARK, Mich. — Lomas Brown slowly strolled through the bedlam unfolding behind the Detroit Lions’ headquarters on an unseasonably cool August day. Dressed in a billowy white T-shirt and baggy blue jeans, Brown chatted with giddy fans, posed for pictures and tried to free himself to watch that morning’s training camp practice. Once he found a little space near a section for patrons with disabilities, he saw thousands of fans surrounding the fences lining the perimeter of the fields. They erupted minutes later, right as quarterback Jared Goff hit wide receiver Jameson Williams racing downfield on a deep shot.
Brown has been around plenty of Lions training camps — he played offensive tackle for the franchise from 1985 to 1995 and has worked as a team radio broadcaster since 2018 — and he knew this year’s version would be especially exciting. Still, Brown couldn’t predict just how tangible that anticipation would be. The fans who showed up on that day couldn’t wait to talk to him about this team’s potential.
The last time Brown felt this much joy around the Lions, in the early 1990s, he was still in uniform, and Detroit was stunning the NFL — which is exactly what the Lions of today hope to do.
“It’s been a process, but from top to bottom, this is the best group I’ve seen here since I came to town,” Brown said. “And back then, I remember people told me that if you win here, people will go out of their minds. This is a blue-collar town, and even though we’ve got the Pistons, Tigers and Red Wings, they love their football. I’ve heard fans talking about Super Bowl this year. They aren’t talking about winning the first playoff game since 1991 or winning the division. They’re talking about winning it all.
